TOPICAL CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC ADJUNCTS IN NON-SURGICAL PERIODONTAL THERAPY – A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED DOUBLE BLINDED TRIAL.

Introduction: Topical chemotherapeutic agents used in treatment of chronic periodontitis are antimicrobial agents which help in plaque control. The present study evaluates the efficacy of ornidazole gel with gold standard chlorhexidine gel when used as adjunct to scaling and root planing. Material and Methods: 90 patients diagnosed as chronic periodontitis, having pocket depth ?3 mm and in good systemic health were selected by systematic sampling method and divided in 3 groups. In all 3 groups scaling and root planing was done. In group A, Ornidazole gel application was done while in Group B Chlorhexidine gel application was done while Group C was control group. Plaque Index (PI) and Gingival Index (GI) were recorded at baseline, 1 and 3 months while Probing pocket depth (PPD) and Clinical attachment level (CAL) were recorded at baseline and 3 months. Results: PI and GI showed significant reduction in all three groups after 1 and 3 months compared to baseline. On inter group comparison, both PI and GI showed no significant difference in reduction of scores after 1 month and 3 months (p>0.05). PPD and CAL values showed statistically significant reduction after 3 months when compared to baseline values. The intergroup comparison revealed statistically significant reduction in group A and B compared to control group C (p<0.05). Conclusion: Ornidazole showed comparable efficacy as Chlorhexidine when used as adjunct to scaling and root planing for treatment of chronic periodontitis.