A study issued in "Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry" illustrated that mild periodontitis patients who underwent non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) can have postoperative pain and inflammation reduction from ginger (Zingiber officinale) and conventional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Nouf Alshibani et al. aimed to compare efficacy of NSAIDs and ginger tablets as anti-inflammatory and analgesic adjuvants to NSPT for managing periodontitis.

Periodontitis patients who underwent NSPT were incorporated. Patients in group 1 were administered 400 mg of postoperative ginger and group 2 patients received 400 mg of NSAIDs. Assessment of full-mouth periodontal parameters (clinical attachment loss [CAL], probing depth [PD], gingival index [GI], and plaque index [PI]) was done in addition to gathering demographic information at baseline, 7, 14, and 21 days later.

At baseline and follow-up intervals of 24 hours, 3 days, and 7 days, the self-rated pain ratings were measured. With the utilization of numeric rating scale (NRS) prior to and following surgery, self-rated pain levels in both groups were evaluated. Data from a pilot assessment were used for power analysis, and group comparisons were conducted. Mean baseline NRS scores for groups 1 and 2 are depicted in Table 1:

Periodontitis in stage II/grade B affected every participant. At the baseline, patients in groups 1 and 2 had substantially greater self-rated pain scores at the 24 h and 3-day follow-ups. Self-rated pain scores in groups 1 and 2 were considerably greater at 24 hours in comparison with 3-day follow-up. At 7, 14, and 21 days, there was a substantial decrease in PI, GI, and PD in both groups when compared to the baseline. Hence, ginger and traditional NSAIDs are valuable in the management of periodontitis.