Aloe vera gel in chronic periodontitis: a clinico-microbiological study

Abstract

Aim or Purpose: Chronic periodontitis is one of the most common oral health problems which has a significant negative influence on the quality of life, in general, and oral health related quality of life, in particular. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Aloe vera gel in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: This split-mouth randomized controlled trial was done among 20 subjects with chronic periodontitis in the age range of 20 and 55 years. Ethical clearance was obtained from the institutional ethics committee. Plaque index, gingival bleeding index, probing pocket depths, and clinical attachment levels, mean log counts of Porphyromonas gingivalis were recorded at baseline and 3 months. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were done to analyze the trial data. Results: The mean change in the plaque index scores for the test and control sites were 0.73±0.35 and 0.33±0.46, respectively. There was a significant difference in the proportion of gingival bleeding between the test and control sites at the 3 months follow-up. The mean PPD and CAL scores, mean log CFU of Porphyromonas gingivalis were significantly lesser for the test sites at the 3 months follow-up. Conclusions: Aloe vera gel as a local drug delivery agent has been found to be effective in the management of chronic periodontitis. It is important that insights from alternative medicine be carefully considered to advance the treatment modalities in dentistry while being cost-effective.