Clinical and biochemical evaluation of lactobacillus reuteri containing lozenges as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy in chronic periodontitis

The effect of probiotics as an adjunct to scaling and root planning (SRP) on inflammatory parameters in chronic periodontitis patients (CP) warrants further investigation because of the controversial data. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and biochemical efficacy of Lactobacillus reuteri containing lozenges as an adjunct to SRP in CP. A total of 40 patients, with at least 2 single-rooted teeth having at least one approximal site with a probing depth (PD) of 5-7 mm and gingival index (GI) of ≥2 in each quadrant were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups. Group-I received SRP+probiotic containing lozenges, whereas Group-II received SRP+placebo twice a day for 3 weeks. Plaque index (PI), GI, bleeding on probing (BoP), PD were measured and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) sampling was performed at baseline and days 21,90,180 and 360. Intergroup comparisons of PI, GI, PD, BoP and GCF matrix metalloproteinase-8 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 levels revealed significance in favour of Group-I at all time intervals (p<0.05) up to day 180 (p<0.05). At day 360, the significance on the clinical parameters continued to exist (p<0.05), however no difference was observed in terms of biochemical parameters (p>0.05).