Adjunctive Effect of Photodynamic Therapy to Scaling and Root Planing in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. BACKGROUND DATA: PDT has become a potential treatment of infectious diseases with the development of laser medicine. However, there are very limited data from clinical trials to evaluate the effect of PDT in the treatment of periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with chronic periodontitis were included and divided into three groups. They were treated with SRP alone, SRP followed by one PDT, or SRP followed by two PDT treatments. PDT was performed at sites with a probing depth (PD) ≥5 mm by using Periowave(TM) therapy. Periodontal values of bleeding on probing (BOP), PD, and clinic attachment loss (CAL) were examined at baseline, 6 wk after treatment, and 12 wk after treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline, sites with baseline PD ≥5 mm in all three groups showed significant reductions of PD, CAL, and BOP at 6 and 12 wk after treatment. Although there were no differences between the three groups for PD and CAL in all three examinations, the presence of BOP sites at 12 wk, but not 6 wk, after SRP treatment significantly decreased in groups with PDT in comparison with SRP alone. CONCLUSION: PDT may serve as an adjunctive therapy to SRP treatment in periodontal pockets with PD ≥5 mm to reduce the presence of bleeding in these lesions.