Clinical and Microbiological Effects of Adjunctive Photodynamic Diode Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Conventional mechanical debridement alone cannot eliminate bacteria and their toxins from periodontal pockets. Adjunctive therapies improve tissue healing through detoxification and bactericidal effects. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive treatment procedure that involves the use of a dye as a photosensitizer that binds to the target cells and activated by a photon of a suitable wavelength. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PDT as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in the treatment of periodontitis. Methods: Fifteen subjects with chronic periodontitis were randomly treated with scaling and root planing followed by a single episode of PDT (test) or scaling and root planing (SRP) alone (control). Full mouth plaque index (PI), sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were assessed at baseline, 1 month and after 3 months. Microbiological evaluation of Porphyromonas gingivalis(Pg) in subgingival plaque samples was performed using a commercially available real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: The results revealed that there was a significant difference in PI, SBI, PD, CAL, and microbiological parameter between the groups at 1 month and 3 months following treatment. Conclusion: The additional application of PDT to SRP has shown a significant improvement in both clinical and microbiological parameters in patients with chronic periodontitis.