Replacement therapy for periodontitis: pilot radiographic evaluation in a dog model

Abstract

The aim of this study was to radiologically evaluate the impact of replacement therapy by monitoring bone density changes and alveolar bone level in periodontal pockets in a dog model. Eight male beagle dogs with moderate periodontitis were enrolled in this split-mouth, double-blind randomized trial with ethical approval. Periodontal defects were surgically created bilaterally in the lower jaw. Four months later, the defects were randomly assigned to initial therapy (scaling and root planing) alone (control sites), or combined with multiple subgingival application of beneficial species. Intra-oral follow-up radiography was performed at this stage and 3 months later to verify the treatment effect. The bone density within periodontal pockets treated with beneficial bacteria improved significantly after 12 weeks, while this was non-significant for the control pockets, receiving a single root planing at baseline. There was a significant increase in the bone level at the end of the study for the pockets receiving beneficial bacteria. Again, no significance was noted for the control pockets. This pilot study indicates the potential effect of a subgingival application of beneficial species in periodontal pockets, and illustrates the strength of standardized follow-up radiography to evaluate the effects of different treatment strategies on bone re-modelling.