Efficacy of electrical neuromuscular stimulation in the treatment of chronic periodontitis

PURPOSE The purpose of the present randomized controlled clinical study was to evaluate the short-term outcomes of microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation (MENS) as an adjunct method to nonsurgical periodontal therapy. METHODS Twenty patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were recruited into the study and randomly treated with either nonsurgical periodontal therapy followed by 5 MENS treatments with a microcurrent device or by nonsurgical periodontal therapy alone. Periodontal parameters were measured at baseline and 6 weeks following therapy, and included the plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and clinical attachment level (CAL). RESULTS All measured values were reduced at the time of re-evaluation. The amount of inflammation was significantly reduced in both the test (P=0.002) and control group (P=0.015). The test group demonstrated a significant CAL gain at 6 weeks following therapy, including non-molar (P=0.009) and molar teeth (P=0.028). In comparison with the control group, the test group showed statistically significant differences in the CAL on both molar (P=0.027) and non-molar teeth (P=0.031). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the short-term results of the study indicate that MENS could be a suitable adjunctive method in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.