The effects of adjunctive use of a desiccant agent in the treatment of stage III periodontitis (Randomized controlled clinical trial).

Introduction: Several bacterial species inhabiting the dental plaque biofilms are associated with periodontitis. Objective: The main objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of the desiccant agent HYBENX (HBX) as an adjunct to scaling and root planning (SRPX) versus scaling and root planning (SRP) alone in the treatment of periodontitis. Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised 25 patients with periodontitis stage Ш (grades A and B). Each maxillary quadrant was randomly allocated to two groups: SRPX group, including 25 quadrants treated with SRP plus HYBENX, and SRP group, including 25 quadrants treated with SRP alone. The following clinical periodontal parameters were recorded at baseline (immediately after treatment, T0), and 1 month (T1), 3 months (T3), and 6 months (T6) after treatment: probing pocket depth (PPD), relative attachment level (RAL), plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI), gingival height (GH), and bleeding on probing index (BOP). Results: Comparisons within each study group showed that all clinical parameters significantly improved (P < 0.001) at all follow-up intervals. In contrast, a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) was observed in RAL, PPD, BOP, and GI indices at all follow-up intervals between the SRPX and SRP groups. In contrast, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were found in GH and PLI between the study groups. Conclusion: Both treatment groups showed improved periodontal parameters. However, applying desiccant gel as an adjunct to SRP was significantly effective in the treatment of stage III periodontitis.

Assessment of total antioxidant capacity and the use of vitamin C in the treatment of non-smokers with chronic periodontitis.

BACKGROUND: Several recent studies have indicated that total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) of plasma seems to be compromised in chronic periodontitis (ChP). The aim of this study is to investigate plasma TAOC in patients with ChP and to assess the effects of vitamin C as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment. METHODS: The study population consisted of 60 subjects: 30 diagnosed with ChP and 30 matched controls. Furthermore, patients from the ChP group were randomly allocated into ChP1 (15 patients received non-surgical treatment with adjunctive dose of vitamin C) and ChP2 (15 patients received non-surgical periodontal treatment alone). Plasma TAOC levels were measured by an ABTS assay at baseline and 1 month post-therapy. RESULTS: Plasma TAOC levels were significantly lower in ChP patients than controls (P <0.001). The periodontal therapy resulted in increasing plasma TAOC and improvements in clinical measures among both ChP1 and ChP2 groups (P <0.001). However, the adjunctive dose of vitamin C did not offer additional effect (P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ChP is significantly associated with lower levels of plasma TAOC. The non-surgical periodontal therapy seems to reduce the oxidative stress during the periodontal inflammation. However, the use of adjunctive vitamin C still needs further investigation.