Combining antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (PDT) with conventional scaling and root planing (SRP) can improve clinical attachment level and probing depth in patients with chronic periodontitis, according to a study in Lasers in Medical Science (July 2010, Vol. 25:4, pp. 605-613).
M.A. Atieh of the University of Otago in New Zealand systematically investigated the effectiveness of PDT as an adjuvant treatment for chronic periodontitis. He performed an electronic search for randomized controlled trials that investigated the combined use of scaling and root planing and PDT in comparison with SRP alone, up to October 2008. RevMan 5.0 software was used to analyze the data.
Four trials were included. At 12 weeks, the use of PDT in conjunction with SRP was associated with significantly greater attachment gain (p = 0.007) and greater reduction in probing depth (p = 0.35). However, changes in gingival recession showed slight differences.
The findings of the review should be interpreted with caution given the small number of studies included, Atieh noted.
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