Systemic ornidazole as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy in the treatment of chronic periodontitis: a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the adjunctive clinical effects of the systemic administration of ornidazole (ORN) in the full-mouth scaling and root planing (SRP) of individuals with moderate-to-advanced chronic periodontitis.

METHODS: Fifty-eight individuals presenting ≥12 teeth with probing depth (PD) ≥4 mm were selected. All participants were instructed on strict oral hygiene measures and were advised to use 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash for 1 week before being allocated to two groups. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to full-mouth SRP + placebo (control group), and 28 participants were assigned to full-mouth SRP + ORN (test group). The clinical outcomes evaluated were plaque index, gingival index, clinical attachment level (CAL), and PD.

RESULTS: Fifty participants could be evaluated by ≤6 months. At 6 months, the test group had greater mean reduction (2.84 mm) in PD compared to the control group (0.84 mm) (P <0.05), and there was also a greater mean CAL reduction (2.92 mm) in the test group compared to the control group (0.92 mm) (P <0.05).

CONCLUSION: The systemic use of ORN, when used in conjunction with initial periodontal treatment consisting of SRP in adults with periodontitis, achieves significantly better clinical results than initial periodontal treatment alone.