Cell-based therapies for the surgical treatment of periodontal intrabony defects: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to investigate the efficacy of cell-based therapy in the surgical treatment of periodontal intrabony defects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PRISMA guidelines were followed, and the study protocol was regis-tered in PROSPERO. Electronic and hand searches were carried out on electronic databases and major international journals of periodontology. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing cell-based therapies com-bined with surgery to surgery alone for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects were considered. Quality assessment was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for randomized clinical trials (RoB 2). Quantitative evaluation of data was performed by meta-analysis. RESULTS: Five hundred twenty-eight records were initially screened and 5 RCTs fulfilling the eligibility criteria were included. Periodontal ligament stem cells, dental pulp stem cells, periosteum-derived stem cells, gingival fibroblasts and their associated stem cells were used in combination with different surgical techniques to treat intrabony periodontal defects. Meta-analysis showed a statistically signif-icant effect in favor of cell-based groups for clinical attachment level gain (p=0.004), with a difference in means of 1.7 mm (95% CI 0.5; 2.9). This was replicated for intrabony defect depth reduction (p=0.006), with a difference in means of 1.3 (95% CI 0.4; 2.3). CONCLUSIONS: Cell-based therapies have been positively applied for the surgical treatment of intrabony periodontal defects with promising results. However, the results obtained should be interpreted with caution due to the low number of available RCTs, the study design heterogeneity, and the limited extension of the follow-up.

Efficacy of locally delivered statins as an adjunct to scaling and root planning in the treatment of periodontitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this systematic review is to assess the efficacy of locally delivered statins used in adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP), compared with SRP alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic and hand search was carried out up to April 2020. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Clinical attachment level gain (CALgain) and probing depth reduction (PDred), modified sulcular bleeding index reduction (mSBIred), and intrabony defect reduction (IBDred) were the investigated outcomes. Meta-analysis was performed, and the power of the meta-analytic findings was determined by trial sequential analysis (TSA). Studies were also sub-grouped based on the type of statin used. Statistical heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed. RESULTS: Twenty RCTs were included (1212 patients, 1289 defects). An overall statistically significant effect size in favor of statins for CALgain and PDred was found. As opposed to atorvastatin and rosuvastatin, simvastatin did not reach statistical significance for these outcomes, as shown by the sub-group analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Within the limits of the available studies, the local administration of statins (in particular, atorvastatin and rosuvastatin) in adjunct to SRP may result in additional significant improvement in terms of CALgain and PDred compared with SRP alone. The high heterogeneity of data and the high risk of bias found, however, impose caution. No approved preparations, moreover, exist, and further well-designed RCTs from independent research centers are needed to confirm the beneficial effects of the different statins and their mutual differences in the non-surgical periodontal treatment.

The role of bone anabolic drugs in the management of periodontitis: a scoping review.

The aim of this scoping review was to summarise current knowledge about the effects of bone anabolic drugs on periodontitis, in order to identify new therapeutic strategies for preventing disease progression and reducing tooth loss. A technical expert panel (TEP) was established of 11 medical specialists, including periodontists and bone specialists that followed the PRISMA-ScR model to perform the scoping review and considered for eligibility both pre-clinical and clinical studies published in the English language up to September 2020. 716 items were initially found. After duplicate removal and screening of articles for eligibility criteria, 25 articles published between 2001 and 2019 were selected. Only studies concerning teriparatide, strontium ranelate, sclerostin antibodies and DKK1 antibodies met the eligibility criteria. In particular, only for teriparatide were there both clinical studies and experimental studies available, while for other bone anabolic drugs only animal studies were found. Available evidence about the use of bone anabolic drugs in periodontology demonstrates beneficial effects of these agents on biological pathways and histological parameters involved in periodontal tissue regeneration that suggest relevant clinical implications for the management of periodontitis.