Antimicrobial therapy in periodontics

Cause-related therapy in periodontics is aimed at the reduction or elimination of microbial pathogens. Periodontitis is associated with microflorae which may consist of indigenous, exogenous or superinfecting organisms. In general, periodontal infections due to indigenous organisms (endogenous or commensal infections) are treated by continual reduction of the bacterial load, exogenous infections (true infections) by adjunctive antibiotic therapy and superinfections (opportunistic infections) by a combined approach of conventional therapy and improvement of compromising host or environmental factors. Properly selected single drug, combination drug and serial drug therapies show great promise in the treatment of severe periodontitis