Recent years have shown the role of antioxidant supplementation in prevention and/or management of numerous dental disorders, such as periodontitis and peri-implant disease. Dietary and other enzymatic antioxidants protect the lipids of lipoproteins and other biomembranes against oxidative damage by intercepting oxidants before they can attack the tissues. In addition, antioxidant macronutrituents may prevent increased cytokine production, which is a result of prolonged activation of the immune response. Thus, an adequate antioxidant intake from both diet and supplementation can be a valuable adjunct in the treatment of chronic inflammatory dental disorders. A wide array of antioxidants has potential applications in dental therapeutics and most of them are easily available as dietary supplements. Although antioxidant therapy could have a promising role in dental practice, a few unaddressed issues need to be clarified before it is firmly established. For example, high dose supplements of some vitamins may pose a health risk. Another important problem is drug interactions. In addition, administration of antioxidants may interfere with essential defense mechanisms. In conclusion, and evidence based approach is needed before making recommendations about safety and standardization of antioxidant usage in routine dental practice.

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