Abstract
Background: To evaluate the role of photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an adjunct to full-mouth ultrasonic scaling (FMUS) in reducing inflammation and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in thalassemia major (TM) patients with gingivitis.
Materials and methods: Thirty patients were randomized into two groups; Group A: PDT+ FMUS and Group B: FMUS alone. Clinical periodontal parameters including plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BoP) and probing depth (PD) were measured. Levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were estimated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. All measurements were performed at baseline (T-0), 6 weeks (T-6) and 12 weeks (T-12), respectively.
Results: For PI and GI, the reduction in Group A (p < 0.001) was higher than Group B (p < 0.05) at T-12. Intragroup comparison between T-6 and T-12 showed statistical significance in both the groups (p < 0.01). The intergroup mean differences (Delta(0-6) and Delta(0-12)) for both deltas showed statistical significance (p = 0.01). For BoP, no significant differences were seen until the end of T-12 in both groups. The BoP in Group A reduced by a significant margin at T-6 and remained less high by the end of T-12 compared with group B (p = 0.02). Significant reduction in both IL-6 and TNF-alpha from T-0 to T-6 were seen in both groups. However, only for TNF-alpha that the intra-group differences were statistically significantly different from T-0 to T-12. The GCF levels of TNF-alpha in Group A remained less high by the end of T-12 compared with group B (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The adjunctive role of PDT in the reduction of clinical and immunological signs of inflammation in TM patients seem to be effective in the short term.