Adjunctive periodontal treatment with Centella asiatica and Punica granatum extracts. A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Centella asiatica and Punica granatum are medicinal herbs that have been reported to promote tissue healing and modulate host responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the combined extracts from C. asiatica and P. granatum pericarp on periodontal healing following scaling and root planing in adult periodontitis patients. METHODS: An innovative herbal medicament was formulated in the form of biodegradable chips for subgingival application. Twenty patients with initial pocket depth 5-8 mm were enrolled into the study. After baseline examination, scaling and root planing of non-target teeth, the target teeth received scaling and root planing followed by subgingival delivery of medicated chips in the test group and unmedicated chips in the placebo group. Probing pocket depth, attachment level, bleeding on probing, gingival index, and plaque index were recorded at baseline, 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: The results showed significant improvements of pocket depth and attachment level in the test sites when compared with the placebo sites at 3 months and with the placebo and control sites at 6 months. All treatment sites exhibited a similar trend of decreasing plaque score. However, the test sites seemed to show slightly better percentage of bleeding on probing. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that local delivery with C. asiatica and P. granatum extracts plus scaling and root planing significantly reduced the clinical signs of chronic periodontitis.