Is antibiotic therapy justified in the treatment of human chronic inflammatory periodontal disease?

Abstract

New insight into the possible involvement of specific bacteria in the etiology of periodontal disease has stimulated interest in antibiotic therapy. However, current knowledge does not allow the designation of one or more pathogens in periodontal diseases. Some bacteria are considered suspected periodontal pathogens due to their predominance in the pocket and their potential pathogenicity, yet they all appear to be indigenous bacteria. For this reason, one can question the rationale for the use of antibiotics in the treatment of periodontal disease since the theoretical basis for their application seems small. Several reports of clinical trials in which antibiotics were administered as an adjunct to scaling and rootplaning in adult periodontitis conclude with encouraging statements concerning bacterial inhibition and the cure of inflammatory periodontal disease. However, the data are conflicting and mostly negative. Antibiotic treatment in combination with scaling and rootplaning in juvenile periodontitis and refractory adult periodontitis has shown some benefit, but the clinical trials were not sufficiently controlled to permit conclusions. So far, antibiotics have been applied as a last resort in order to supplement the non-specific approach of mechanical root debridement, but it can be doubted whether this approach offers any benefit in the long run.