Antimicrobial Peptide

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are short peptide molecules with biological activities that are an important part of the innate host response. AMPs are known to have a major function for the homeostasis of microorganisms in the oral environment. The antimicrobial activity of the peptides is broad-spectrum, rapid-acting, and accompanied by minimal development of resistance. AMPs have shown important promise as therapeutic entities. The current article aims to review the role of antimicrobial peptides in dentistry with reference to their structure, sources, modes of action, and applications. AMPs are known to have important applications in caries prevention, periodontal therapy, endodontics, as well as oral mucosal defenses.