Our parents, nutritionist keep saying to eat beetroots as a salad and juice, but we keep on ignoring them. Surprisingly beetroot is considered an exploratory, well-tolerated adjunct in maintenance of oral hygiene in OLP patients.
Oral lichen plants are chronic inflammatory mucocutaneous disorders. It is an autoimmune disease. Common symptoms are white interlacing lines on both sides of the cheeks which disappear while stretching. It is usually painless. It can also be bright red, swollen tissues open sores that cause a burning sensation and pain.
Beetroot juice mouth acts as a natural mouthrinse, short term Antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and salivary nitric-oxide. Beetroot juice reduces bacterial colonisation like Streptococcus sp. on dental plaque.
It also converts dietary nitrates into nitric oxide which later on helps in vasodilation and improve blood vessel function. While chlorhexidine (CHX) is considered a gold standard chemical plaque control agent, OLP patients find it discomforting while using them. Beetroot being the natural mouthrinses helps in soothing and treating and controlling plaque.
Natural remedies can be helpful when used correctly. Beetroot juice can be proven helpful in primary cases but if the symptoms worsen, a dentist should be consulted.
Beetroot rinse can be the best natural and soothing for patients with gingivitis and oral lichen planus. Very useful for patients not tolerating chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Great post @Shija_raj. It’s amazing how dietary nitrates in beetroot can actively help blood vessel function and soothe tissue inflammation. While I agree with @salva_sami that severe symptoms always need standard clinical treatments, using a natural rinse for short-term plaque control is a great way to improve comfort for OLP patients.
An interesting topic! Beetroot’s antioxidant and nitrate-rich properties make it a promising natural adjunct for oral health. However, based on the current evidence, it should not replace conventional plaque control measures. Professional oral prophylaxis, meticulous oral hygiene, and appropriate management of oral lichen planus remain the mainstay of treatment. Beetroot-based rinses may have supportive benefits, but larger long-term clinical studies are needed before they can be recommended routinely.
It is good to go for a natural mouthrinse recipe like beetroot salad or juice, as the patient won’t feel any burning sensation with beetroot. But it should be used only for minor cases; major infections need proper treatment.
Very informative post mam. As beetroot can improve blood levels also, it can help to OLP patient. At least it can help to prevent such disorder. And overall also beetroot is very important for body also we can prefer eating beetroot.
