Bisphosphonates in periodontal treatment: a review

Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease involving bacterial biofilms and the generation of an inflammatory response. The latter causes the major part of the periodontal tissue breakdown. Alveolar bone resorption is a major component of the periodontal destruction observed in periodontitis. Novel treatment modalities of periodontitis intend to control and modulate the host response to bacterial aggression. Drugs such as bisphosphonates (BPs) are proven antiresorptive agents that can potentially inhibit the alveolar bone resorption. This review describes the potential use of BPs in periodontal treatment and could be said that BPs have an in vitro and in vivo capability of reducing bone resorption. Only a few studies have been carried out on the improvement of clinical periodontal parameters after the administration of BPs. Therefore, the published data are not sufficient to establish an evidence-based relevance for the use of these drugs in the treatment of periodontal diseases.