To find out the suppressive effect of natural extract Curcuma xanthorrhiza on IL-1β and MMP-2 derived from periodontal ligament cells through in vitro study and to confirm its effect on plaque and gingivitis through clinical study, Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste was used and following results were produced.

1. In vitro study, type IV collagenase MMP-2 production was inhibited dose-dependently in the group treated with Curcuma xanthorrhiza compared to the control group.

2. In vitro study, the production of IL-1βwhich is one of the inflammatory mediators associated with periodontitis was inhibited dose-dependently in the group treated with Curcuma xanthorrhiza.

3. On the third week, the plaque index of the groups treated with or without Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpastes were both increased significantly compared to the baseline(p<0.05).

4. On the third week, the gingival index of the group treated with Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste was not significantly different from baseline. However, the group treated without Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste showed a significant increase of gingival index at shielded area(p<0.05).

5. The gingival index of the group without Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste showed a significant increase in the sites without tooth brushing when compared to sites with tooth brushing(p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference for the group with Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste in sites either with or without tooth brushing.

6. The Bleeding on probing for the group without Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste showed no significant difference even when tooth brushing was done. However, for the group with Curcuma xanthorrhiza containing toothpaste, bleeding on probing was significantly reduced compared to baseline when tooth brushing was done(p<0.05).