Comparative Evaluation of Tetracycline Hydrochloride Fiber and Simvastatin Gel as an Adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing in Periodontitis Patients

Cureus. 2023 Jul 22;15(7):e42314. doi: 10.7759/cureus.42314. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Inflammation of oral soft tissues, caused by periodontal disease, results in the loss of attachment to supporting therapy and is a severe threat to dental health. Although there are a number of therapeutic options available, mechanical debridement continues to be the gold standard. Scaling and root planing is the gold standard therapy for periodontitis, but this research aims to examine the efficacy of tetracycline fibers and simvastatin gel as local drug delivery methods. We evaluated 60 sites, splitting them into three groups: 20 sites received just scaling and root planing; 20 sites received scaling and root planing plus simvastatin gel; and 20 sites received scaling and root planing plus tetracycline fibers. Clinical indicators such as the gingival index, the modified sulcular bleeding index, and the probing depth were measured at the start of the study, after one week, after one month, after three months, and after six months. After six months, the simvastatin group reduced the gingival index and modified sulcular bleeding index more than the tetracycline group, whereas the tetracycline group reduced probing depth more than the simvastatin group.

Keywords: local drug delivery agents; periodontitis; simvastatin gel; srp; tetracycline fibers.