# Phytochemistry and Application of White Mustard (Sinapis alba) in Medicine and Dentistry—A Narrative Review

## TL;DR

White mustard contains compounds with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, showing promise in dental care but requiring further standardization and safety testing.

## Contribution

This review highlights the potential of white mustard as a phytotherapeutic agent in dentistry, supported by clinical and microbiological findings.

## Key findings

- Mustard-derived products reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines and inhibit pathogens at low concentrations.
- A mustard-based toothpaste significantly improved plaque and gingival health in a clinical trial.
- Sinigrin-rich extracts selectively suppressed periodontal pathogens in a six-month follow-up.

## Abstract

White Mustard (Sinapis alba) seeds contain glucosinolates, mainly sinigrin and sinalbin. Isothiocyanate metabolites, together with flavonoids and tocopherols, present anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. This narrative review is a result of a literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, spanning in vitro, in vivo. and clinical studies. The presented data highlight that mustard-derived products suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and inhibit a broad spectrum of pathogens at micromolar concentrations. In the largest (n = 113) double-blind dental trial to date, a white-mustard toothpaste reduced the mean value of Silness-Löe plaque index by −2.43 vs. −1.95 placebo and bleeding on probing by 30.6% vs. 26.8% within four weeks, while salivary Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingival colony counts decreased by 40%. A six-month follow-up study with a sinigrin-rich “Bamberka” extract confirmed these gains and selectively suppressed red-complex periopathogens. Clinical translation is limited by heterogeneous extraction methods, a lack of phytochemical standardization, and an unresolved allergenic risk linked to seed proteins Sin a 1 and Sin a 2. Mustard, therefore, emerges as a promising phytotherapeutic adjunct for controlling inflammation, infection, and oxidative stress, but widespread use awaits harmonized manufacturing guidelines, comprehensive allergological screening, and rigorously designed randomized trials benchmarked against chlorhexidine.