Background: There are limited clinical experiments addressing the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an adjunct to conventional scaling and root planing (SRP) on clinical and biologic features of periodontitis. This trial compares the clinical parameters and cytokine profiles in gingival crevicular fluid of patients with moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis (CP) who have been treated using SRP alone or SRP + PDT.
Methods: Twenty-two patients with two contralateral teeth affected with moderate-to-severe CP were selected. After SRP, the participants' teeth were randomized to receive either no further treatment or a single application of PDT using a 638-nm laser and toluidine blue. Although the change in probing depth was the primary outcome, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level, gingival recession, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and matrix metalloproteinase 8 and 9 were also evaluated at baseline and 3 months postintervention. An oral rinse assay was also performed to determine the total levels of oral polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) before and 3 months after the treatments.
Results: Within each group, significant improvements (P <0.001) were found for all variables in 3-month follow-up compared with baseline. Only TNF-α was significantly improved in the PDT + SRP versus SRP group. Total levels of PMNs were reduced for all patients compared with baseline levels (P <0.001).
Conclusion: In patients with CP, a single application of PDT (using a 638-nm laser and toluidine blue) did not provide any additional benefit to SRP in terms of clinical parameters or inflammatory markers 3 months following the intervention.
Keywords: Clinical trial; cytokines; gingival crevicular fluid; periodontitis photochemotherapy.