Systemic antibiotics in the management of chronic periodontitis

Multiple research studies have investigated the use of systemic antibiotics as adjunctive treatments in the management of chronic periodontitis. However, the great heterogeneity of study designs and variable outcomes that have been reported have led to confusion among the profession as to whether or not there is any clinical benefit of using systemic antibiotics. In this review, the potential advantages and disadvantages of using systemic antibiotics are considered together with outcomes from published clinical studies. Few published studies are of adequate quality to be considered in systematic reviews, and the outcomes are very varied. Drawing definitive conclusions is difficult, but given the lack of reliable data available, systemic antibiotics cannot be indicated as adjuncts in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.