Evaluation of Different Local Drug Delivery Systems in the Management of Chronic Periodontitis: A Comparative Study

The present study aimed to assess the use of various local drug delivery systems in the management of chronic periodontitis.

A total of 60 patients aged around 30-55 years were included. The subjects who were enrolled under took a phase I therapy that included scaling and root planing (SRP). Patients who satisfied the conditions for selection to enter the trial were assigned randomly to three groups, with each group consisting of 20 participants as follows: group I: controlled-release drugs-chlorhexidine gel, group II: metronidazole gel, group III: tetracycline fibers. The plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and periodontal pocket depth (PPD) were recorded after 1st week as the baseline data and were recorded again after 15 days and 30 days post-baseline.

The mean GI scores were 1.32 ± 0.10, 0.88 ± 0.16, and 0.76 ± 0.12, at baseline, 15 days, and 30 days, respectively, in group I. In group II, the mean GI score reduced to 1.09 ± 0.83 at 30 days from 1.48 ± 0.27 at baseline. Likewise, in group III the mean GI score reduced to 0.90 ± 0.62 at 30 days from 1.38 ± 0.06 at baseline. All the groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference at various intervals. The mean PI score decreased to 0.90 ± 0.78 at 15 days from 1.46 ± 0.22 at baseline in group III. A statistically significant difference at different intervals was seen in group III only. In all groups, the intergroup comparison of PPD was found to be statistically significant.

This study demonstrated that although thorough SRP is an effective treatment method for elimination of chronic periodontal pockets, improved results can be obtained by adjunctive use of locally administered chlorhexidine gel, metronidazole gel, and tetracycline fibers.

The use of the adjunctive local drug delivery system along with mechanical cleansing in the treatment of periodontal pockets in chronic periodontitis is therapeutically beneficial.