Year : 2022

Volume : Volume 13

Issue : Issue 1

Address for correspondence :
: Deepak Sharma
ipkmadan@gmail.com

Abstract

Mechanical biofilm removal using scaling and root planing is the mainstay of both surgical and non-surgical periodontal therapies, however, its effectiveness is restricted in areas of anatomical complexity of tooth roots and soft-tissue penetrating periodontopathogens. Adjunct systemic and local antibiotics have been used in the literature with some amount of success to enhance the outcome of conventional mechanical debridement but frequent practice of systemic antimicrobials may cause the emergence of resistant microorganisms and shift in the microflora. Local drug delivery evolved as a substitute to systemic antibiotics, but its usage is based on number of sites, cost/benefit ratio, and patient compliance. To overcome the above limitations, photodynamic therapy (PDT) is being increasingly used as an adjunct to periodontal therapy. Although discovered more than 100 years ago and principally used for cancer and age-related macular degeneration, its antibacterial property has been recently considered in wake of growing antibacterial resistance. PDT’s major advantages are its specificity to the targeted cells, with no collateral damage and lack of resistance development among bacterial species. In periodontal literature, though evidence is still developing in the favor of PDT, there is already a definitive interest and keenness for its usage in patients not responding to conventional treatment and patients with risk factors such as smoking and diabetes.

Keywords: Periodontitis, Antibiotic resistance, Bactericidal, Inflammatory mediator.