Effect of Nigella Sativa Toothpaste on Salivary Biomarkers in Patients With Gingivitis (NS-GINGIVITIS)

February 27, 2026 updated by: Yonathan Stiawan, Universitas Airlangga

Levels of IL-1β, PGE2, and MMP-8 in Saliva After the Use of Nigella Sativa Toothpaste in Indonesian Army Soldiers With Gingivitis

This study evaluated the effects of Nigella sativa toothpaste on salivary inflammatory biomarkers (IL-1β, PGE2, and MMP-8) in Indonesian Army personnel with gingivitis. The aim was to determine whether the toothpaste could reduce inflammatory marker levels associated with gingival inflammation.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Gingivitis is an inflammatory condition of the gingiva that is commonly associated with elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers in saliva. Nigella sativa has been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects, making it a potential adjunct in gingival inflammation management.

This study investigated the effect of Nigella sativa toothpaste on the salivary levels of IL-1β, PGE2, and MMP-8 in Indonesian Army personnel diagnosed with gingivitis. Saliva samples were collected before and after the intervention period. Biomarker concentrations were analyzed to assess the clinical and biochemical response to the use of Nigella sativa toothpaste. The study aimed to determine whether this herbal-based toothpaste could reduce inflammatory biomarkers and provide benefits in managing gingivitis.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
100

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Indonesia
    • East Java
      • Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, 60132
        • Faculty of Dental Medicine, Universitas Airlangga.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Indonesian Army (TNI) soldiers from the 202 Tajimalela Mechanized Infantry Battalion.
  • Diagnosed with gingivitis and periodontitis.
  • Aged 18-50 years.
  • Minimum of 20 teeth (excluding third molars).
  • Bleeding on Probing (BoP) score of ≥ 10%.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Subjects who do not meet the inclusion criteria or are unwilling to provide written informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Experimental Group: Nigella sativa Toothpaste
Participants in this group used toothpaste containing 3% Nigella sativa extract twice daily for three months, along with standardized oral hygiene education, to evaluate its effect on salivary inflammatory biomarkers.
Drug: Nigella sativa toothpaste
Toothpaste containing 3% Nigella sativa extract used twice daily for three months as part of the experimental intervention.
Placebo Comparator: Control Group: Placebo Toothpaste
Participants in this group used a placebo toothpaste identical in appearance and taste but without Nigella sativa extract twice daily for three months, along with standardized oral hygiene education, as a comparison group.
Drug: Placebo toothpaste
Toothpaste identical in appearance and taste but without Nigella sativa extract, used twice daily for three months as a comparator.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in salivary IL-1β levels.
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months of daily toothpaste use
Measuring the concentration of Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) in saliva samples using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method to evaluate inflammatory response.
Baseline and 3 months of daily toothpaste use
Change in salivary PGE2 levels
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months of daily toothpaste use.
Measuring the concentration of Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in saliva samples using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method to evaluate the reduction of inflammatory mediators.
Baseline and 3 months of daily toothpaste use.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Universitas Airlangga

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

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Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
July 31, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 27, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
February 27, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UA-PERIO-NS-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There is no plan to share individual participant data (IPD) to the public. The study results are presented in aggregate form within the manuscript to maintain the confidentiality of the participants, who are active-duty military personnel. Any inquiries regarding the data may be directed to the corresponding author

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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