Refractory chronic periodontitis: effect of oral tetracycline hydrochloride and root planning

Refractory chronic periodontitis of 16 patients was treated by root planing and adjunctive tetracycline hydrochloride therapy. The antibiotic was taken orally one hour before root planing and continued for six days at a dosage of 250 mg six hourly. The clinical data for each patient were recorded as the number of probing depths in each of the 1-3 mm, 4-6 mm and 7-10 mm ranges. The Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) procedure for repeated measurements was used to analyse the data. The results demonstrated that the number of sites with probing depths of 4-6 mm and 7-10 mm associated with incisors, canines, premolars and molars decreased with a corresponding increase in the number of sites in the 1-3 mm range. Incisor and canine teeth showed a better response to treatment than premolars, which responded better than molars. The cases were followed for varying periods of time from six months to two years following antibiotic therapy. The probing depth reduction achieved following root planing and tetracycline hydrochloride therapy was maintained during this review period.