Effectiveness of periodontal therapy on the severity of cyclosporin A‐induced gingival overgrowth

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effects of aetiological periodontal treatment in a group of transplant patients medicated with cyclosporin A (CsA) who exhibited severe gingival overgrowth. Twenty-one patients received oral hygiene instructions, supra- and subgingival scaling and periodontal maintenance therapy and were monitored for 12 months. Full-mouth plaque score (FMPS), full-mouth bleeding score (FMBS), periodontal probing depth and degree of gingival overgrowth (Seymour index GO) were recorded at baseline, 6 and 12 months after treatment. Statistical evaluation revealed that all clinical variables significantly decreased compared with baseline. At baseline 18 out of 21 treated patients (85.71%) exhibited clinically significant overgrowth. Initial GO score of 2.38+/-1.92 in the anterior sextants and of 1.29+/-1.59 in the posterior segments were reduced to 0.56+/-0.83 and to 0.45+/-0.84 at 12 months (p<0.001). A difference of 1.82 and 0.84 in the severity of treated GO was accompanied by a 42% and 34% decrease in FMPS and FMBS, respectively. Aetiological periodontal treatment and regular maintenance therapy were effective in resolving the inflammation and in eliminating the need for surgical treatment in patients receiving CsA.