Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy as an Adjunctive Modality in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis

Introduction: Due to penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the periodontal tissues in moderate to severe periodontitis, the mechanical methods are not sufficient in these cases. Therefore, administration of local/systemic antibiotic is recommended following mechanical root debridement. However, side effects of antibiotics such as microbial resistance and patient allergy led to development of alternative methods. One of the suggested methods is the antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT). aPDT is a local non invasive treatment modality without the side effects caused by antibiotics. The aim of this study was to collect the clinical articles related to the application of aPDT in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Method: In order to find related clinical articles, a search of PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct until 2012 was performed. Results: A total of 11 articles were found. In 7 of the 11 articles, the assessment of aPDT led to a significant improvement in the clinical attachment and probing depth. In 4 studies, there was no difference between the scaling & root planing (SRP) and adjunctive application of aPDT. aPDT in most cases resulted in less gingival bleeding compare to SRP alone. Furthermore, its application in multiple doses was more effective in comparison to a single dose treatment. Conclusion: It appears that aPDT is effective as an adjunctive therapy compared to conventional non_surgical treatment alone, and is recommended in multiple doses in order to achieve more appropriate results.