Using host response modifiers in the treatment of periodontal disease. "The clinicians' view". [Interview]

While considerable advances have been made in the understanding of the tissue-destructive mechanisms involved in etiology of periodontitis, the adoption and application of this knowledge has not been generally incorporated into the daily management of patients with chronic periodontitis. A number of adjunctive pharmacotherapeutic agents have been investigated in clinical trials and several agents are used in everyday practice as adjuncts to mechanical nonsurgical periodontal therapy. The only systemic, host modulatory agent approved for the adjunctive use with nonsurgical periodontal procedures, however, is Periostat (20mg doxycycline hyclate, twice daily). In order to further understand the impact of adjunctive host modulatory therapy on patient management and its role in clinical practice, Montage Media interviewed dental professionals across the US. Each of the participants has direct experience with the use of Periostat in their clinical practice. The expectation is that, with the "real life" clinical experience reported by clinicians "in their own words" coupled with the extensive literature describing the results of controlled clinical trials of Periostat, it will be possible to hasten the adoption of evidence-based science into clinical practice.