Health from the Hive: Propolis as an Adjuvant in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis - A Clinicomicrobiologic Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study was aimed at the clinical and microbiological evaluation of the efficacy of subgingivally delivered Indian propolis extract as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of periodontitis. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients diagnosed with chronic periodontitis presenting a minimum of two pockets (probing depth ≥5 mm) were selected. Sites were assigned randomly into control sites (n=20) which received SRP alone or test sites (n=20) which received SRP and locally delivered propolis. At selected sites, the clinical parameters were assessed and subgingival plaque samples were collected at baseline, 15 days and one month. The samples were cultured anerobically for periodontal pathogens. Results: The results indicated that there was a significant improvement in both clinical and microbiological parameters (p<0.01) in the test sites compared to the control sites at the end of the study. Conclusion: Subgingival delivery of propolis showed promising results as an adjunct to SRP in patients with chronic periodontitis when assessed by clinical and microbiological parameters.

Keywords

• chronic periodontitis
• drug delivery
• porphyromonas gingivalis
• propolis