Photodynamics in antimicrobial periodontal therapy

Abstract

Current dental practice has been emphasizing more on (1) early diagnosis and prevention of common oral diseases and (2) to conserve tooth structure as much as possible during restorative procedures. Thus atraumatic and non invasive treatment modalities have been the key thrust in dentistry today. Keeping in mind the tremendous potential of optical technology to provide high sensitive tissue information non-invasively, and the ability to induce localized and specific tissue changes, photodynamic therapy should be the foremost technology to embrace for advancement in dentistry. Although mechanical removal of the periodontal pathogens is the current gold standard of treatment, antibiotics are also known to be effective. However, development of resistance in the target organisms is a problem associated with the use of such drugs. The use of photoactivatable compounds or photosensitizers (PS) to cause photodestruction of oral bacteria has been demonstrated, indicating that photodynamic therapy (PDT) could be a useful alternative to mechanical means as well as antibiotics in eliminating periopathogenic bacteria. Keeping this in consideration this review mainly focuses on the application of photodynamic technology as antimicrobial agent in adjunct to the routine oral prophylaxis around the natural dentition as well as implant prosthesis.