Punica granatum: An Adjunct in the Non-Surgical Management of Chronic Periodontitis.

BACKGROUND

Periodontitis is a persistent inflammatory condition resulting in tooth loss. Mechanical treatment alone may inadequately eradicate microorganisms from pockets, necessitating the additional local injection of pharmaceuticals. Pomegranate has strong antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, and probiotic effects.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of locally delivered pomegranate gel when used as an adjunct to scaling and root planning (SRP) in the treatment of chronic periodontitis (CP).

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

A total of 20 patients contributing 120 sites randomly received one of the three treatment protocols and resultant clinical parameters were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.

RESULTS

All three treatment modalities resulted in significant improvement in all clinical parameters with the greatest improvement in probing pocket depth (PPD) and relative attachment level (RAL) noted in Group 3.

CONCLUSION

Local application of 5%-pomegranate gel after SRP is effective in CP patients and hence can be recommended as an adjunctive non-surgical treatment option.