Efficacy of ozone therapy as an adjunct to scaling and root planing: A clinical and microbiological study

Abstract

Introduction: Periodontitis is a multifactorial disease, of which bacterial plaque is the main cause for the initiation and progression of periodontitis. Elimination of bacterial colonization is the main objective of periodontal therapy. Scaling and root planing (SRP) has been the main treatment modality, but inaccessibility into deep pockets can leave residual deposits in the pocket resulting in recolonization pathogenic organisms in treated areas. This led to the use of antibacterial agents as subgingival irrigants as an adjunct to SRP. Ozone is known for its antimicrobial effect. Materials and Methods: Forty sites with probing pocket depth ≥6 mm were included in the study. The test sites were subjected to ozonized water subgingival irrigation, and control sites were subjected to subgingival irrigation 0.2% chlorhexidine. The clinical parameters were recorded initially and after 1 month along with microbiologic sampling. Results: Baseline values showed no statistically significant difference in any of the clinical parameters at the test and control sites. Value of P Conclusion: Ozonized water subgingival irrigation is effective in improving oral hygiene, reducing gingival inflammation, decreasing pocket depth, and increasing attachment levels when used as an adjunct to SRP in patients with chronic periodontitis.