Evaluation of nanofiber scaffolds laden Ashvakatri in the management of chronic periodontitis-a randomized, controlled split pocket study.

BACKGROUND

The main objective of periodontal treatment is to stop the progression of periodontal disease. Controlled-release drugs yield promising outcomes when conventional treatment is proven to be insufficient in establishing periodontal health in chronic periodontitis. A low-dose controlled-release delivery method for the treatment of periodontal infection was attempted to be developed in this study. With effective electrospinning, a novel sustained-release medication system including polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers containing Ashvakatri (A2) and Tetracycline (TET) was accessed clinically for periodontitis.

METHOD & MATERIALS: The electrospinning technique prepared nanofibers with A2 and TET in PCL and gelatin. The A2-loaded nanofiber followed the Higuchi model release and had a sustained impact of 9 days (220 h). 75 periodontal sites from 31 patients with chronic periodontitis (≥5 mm probing depth) followed by 3 groups: Group I received Scaling and root planning (SRP) and blank polymer mat whereas Group II treated with SRP and PCL-GE-A2 nanofiber scaffold/mat, and Group III received SRP + PCL-GE-TET (tetracycline) nanofiber scaffolds. Clinical evaluations of GI, PI, PPD, and CAL were performed on each patient group.

CONCLUSION

Compared to the placebo and standard group, the test group was remarkably associated with improved GI, PI, PPD, and CAL at the end of the study. Therefore, drug-loaded nanofiber was found to be efficacious in treating periodontal diseases and may be appropriate as an alternative treatment.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The fabricated PCL-GE-A2 nanofiber mat was more cost-efficient, minimized the dosage amount, and dosage frequency, and showed no adverse effects or discomforts with increased patient compliance.