Effect of adjuvant probiotic therapy (Lactobacillus reuteri) in the treatment of periodontitis associated with diabetes mellitus: clinical, controlled, and randomized study

OBJECTIVES

Subgingival instrumentation (SI) with probiotics may be a proposal for the treatment of periodontitis (P), for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The Lactobacillus reuteri probiotic as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of P associated with T2DM was evaluated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty diabetic participants diagnosed with P (stage III and IV, grade B) were randomized into SI + Placebo (n = 20): subgingival instrumentation plus placebo lozenges and SI + Probi (n = 20): subgingival instrumentation plus probiotics. Probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BoP), and PISA index were performed at baseline and 30, 90, and 180 days. Cytokine concentration in the gingival crevicular fluid, subgingival biofilm sample, and LDL and HDL subfractions were evaluated.

RESULTS

In the deep pockets, PD in SI + Probi showed increased values (p = 0.02) compared to SI + Placebo at 90 days. For CAL, SI + Probi showed increased values compared to SI + Placebo, with a significant difference at 30 days (p = 0.03), 90 days (p = 0.02), and 180 days (p = 0.04). At #PD ≥ 7 mm, SI + Probi had a more frequent number of sites (p = 0.03) compared to SI + Placebo only at baseline. For the PISA, SI + Probi showed a significant difference (p = 0.04) compared to SI + Placebo at 90 days. For cytokines, SI + Probi showed higher quantification than SI + Placebo for IL-10 (p < 0.001) at 90 days, IL-12 (p = 0.010) at 90 days, IL-1β (p = 0.035) at 90 days, and IL-8 (p = 0.003) at baseline. SI + Placebo showed higher quantification of IL-1β (p = 0.041) compared to SI + Probi only at 30 days. There was a reduction in all microbial complexes. SI + Probi improved LDL size (246.7 nm vs 260.4 nm; p < 0.001), while large HDL subfractions were reduced aft 180 days of treatment (24.0% vs 20.3%; p = 0.022) when compared with SI + Placebo; this response was dependent of probiotics (1.0 mg/dL vs - 6.2 mg/dL; p = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Subgingival instrumentation improved the clinical periodontal parameters in patients with T2DM. The use of L. reuteri probiotics had no additional effects compared with the placebo; however, there was a positive effect on the lipoprotein subfraction.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Scientific rationale for study: subgingival instrumentation with probiotics may be a proposal for the treatment of periodontitis (P), especially for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

the use of L. reuteri probiotics had no additional effects compared with the placebo; however, there was a positive effect on the lipoprotein subfraction.  Practical implications: L. reuteri as an adjunct to subgingival instrumentation may have significant therapeutic implications in dyslipidemia.

Clinical and microbiological outcomes of subgingival instrumentation supplemented with high-dose omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in periodontal treatment - a randomized clinical trial

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) combined with scaling and root planing (SRP) in untreated periodontitis stage III and IV.

METHODS

Forty patients were randomly assigned to the test group receiving SRP plus omega-3 PUFAs (n = 20) or control group receiving SRP alone (n = 20). Clinical changes of pocket probing depths (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP) and rates of closed pockets (PPD ≤ 4 mm without BOP) were evaluated at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. Phorphyromonas gingivalis, Tanarella forsythia, Treponema denticola and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans counts were analysed at baseline and at 6 months. Serum was subjected to lipid gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis at baseline and at 6 months.

RESULTS

Significant improvement of all clinical parameters at 3 and 6 months was observed in both groups. For the primary outcome "change of mean PD," no significant difference was detected between the groups. Patients treated with omega-3 PUFAs demonstrated significantly lower rates of BOP, higher gain of CAL and higher number of closed pockets at 3 months in comparison to the control group. After 6 months, no clinical differences between the groups were found, with the exception of lower BOP rates. Moreover, in the test group, the number of key periodontal bacteria was significantly lower than in the control group at 6 months. Increased proportions of serum n-3 PUFAs and decreased proportions of n-6 PUFAs were detected at 6 months in the patients from the test group.

CONCLUSION

High-dose omega-3 PUFA intake during non-surgical treatment of periodontitis results in short-term clinical and microbiological benefits. The study protocol was approved by the ethical committee of Medical University of Lodz (reference number RNN/251/17/KE) and registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04477395) on 20/07/2020.

Adjunctive air-polishing with erythritol in nonsurgical periodontal therapy: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

This study was aimed to investigate if the adjunctive use of erythritol air-polishing powder applied with the nozzle-system during subgingival instrumentation (SI) has an effect on the outcome of non-surgical periodontal treatment in patients with moderate to severe periodontitis.

METHODS

Fourty-two individuals with periodontitis received nonsurgical periodontal therapy by SI without (controls, n = 21) and with adjunctive air-polishing using nozzle + erythritol powder (test, n = 21). They were analyzed for the clinical variables BOP (primary outcome at six months), probing depth (PD), attachment level, four selected microorganisms and two biomarkers at baseline, before SI as well as three and six months after SI. Statistical analysis included nonparametric tests for intra- and intergroup comparisons.

RESULTS

In both groups, the clinical variables PD, attachment level and BOP significantly improved three and six months after SI. The number of sites with PD ≥ 5 mm was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group after six months. At six months versus baseline, there were significant reductions of Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola counts as well as lower levels of MMP-8 in the test group.

CONCLUSIONS

Subgingival instrumentation with adjunctive erythritol air-polishing powder does not reduce BOP. But it may add beneficial effects like reducing the probing depth measured as number of residual periodontal pocket with PD ≥ 5 mm when compared with subgingival instrumentation only.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The adjunctive use of erythritol air-polishing powder applied with the nozzle-system during SI may improve the clinical outcome of SI and may reduce the need for periodontal surgery. Trial registration The study was retrospectively registered in the German register of clinical trials, DRKS00015239 on 6th August 2018, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL .