Enhanced repair and regeneration of periodontal lesions in tetracycline-treated patients. Case reports.

A group of cases is presented in which dramatic repair and regeneration of periodontal tissues lost as a result of periodontitis have occurred following systemic administration of tetracycline either alone or in combination with other forms of periodontal therapy. The nature and extent of regeneration demonstrated in these patients appears to be more dramatic than what has been shown previously when more conventional forms of periodontal therapy were utilized, even including bone grafting and guided tissue regeneration. The type of repair described has been shown in many instances to be long standing and is probably not totally related to the antibacterial characteristics of tetracycline. It is suggested that the ability of this drug to inhibit collagenolytic enzymes (collagenases) may have influenced the favorable clinical results achieved. The anti-collagenolytic properties of tetracycline are being considered with increasing frequency in the treatment of other systemic diseases characterized by collagen breakdown such as corneal ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Given the highly collagenous nature of the tissues of the periodontium, this report suggests that tetracycline could be of considerable value in the treatment of some types of periodontitis.