ABSTRACT
The use of antibiotics in conjunction with scaling and root planning is indicated in several cases of periodontitis. Azitbromycin is effective against gram negative microorganisms and has a long half life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Azithromycin on clinical parameters in patients with chronic periodontitis. This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted by recruiting 40 patients with chronic periodontitis referring to the Periodontics Department of Tehran University Dental School. The Papilla Bleeding index [PBI], Probing Depth [PD], and Clinical Attachment Level [CAL] were measured. The clinical examination was folloed by scaling and root planning [SRP]. Patients were assigned randomly to test [Azithromycin, 500 mg once daily for 3 days] and control [placebo, once daily for 3 days] groups one month after SRP. All parameters were measured again 2 and 4 months after baseline evaluation. Before administration of antibiotics [one month after baseline] the levels of clinical parameters [PBI, PD, and CAL] were not statistically different between the test and control groups. All clinical parameters [PBI, PD, and CAL] were significantly improved in both test and control groups one month after baseline [P<0.05]. In addition, all parameters were significantly lower in test group when compared with control group at 2 and 4 months [P<0.05]. Within the limits of this study, oral administration of Azithromycin in conjunction with scaling and root planning was useful in the treatment of moderate to severe chronic periodontitis