Control of gingival inflammation in a teenager population using ultrasonic prophylaxis

Abstract

Gingival inflammation is clinically characterized by gingival redness, swelling and increased tendency of bleeding of the soft tissue. Bacterial biofilm is the etiological agent. If, at this stage, the bacterial biofilm is removed and appropriate control methods are applied, remission of gingival inflammation occurs. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a single session of ultrasonic prophylaxis for the reduction of gingivitis in an adolescent population using the Plaque Index (PI) and Gingival Index (GI). The study sample consisted of 15 male adolescent students selected at a dentist's office of a public high school. Prior to treatment (baseline), plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded. The patients then received oral hygiene instructions and ultrasonic prophylaxis. Follow-up exams were made 15 and 30 days after the ultrasonic prophylaxis, again recording PI and BOP. The data were analyzed by the Student's t-test for dependent samples. Correlation analysis between presence of biofilm and bleeding on probing was also made using the Pearson correlation test. There was a statistically significant decrease in the plaque index and bleeding on probing between baseline and examinations at both 15 days and 30 days (p<0.05). However, the difference between the means at 15 and 30 days was statistically similar. The correlation analysis showed correlation between both parameters (p<0.05). The results indicate that a single session of ultrasonic prophylaxis associated to oral hygiene instructions is efficient to reverse gingivitis in adolescents.

Clinical, Microbial, and Immune Responses Observed in Patients With Diabetes After Treatment for Gingivitis: A Three‐Month Randomized Clinical Trial

“…Investigating an antimicrobial that could be used on a daily basis seemed to be very helpful for patients with diabetes, considering their susceptibility to gingival inflammation. Although Novaes Júnior 37 reported that a single session of ultrasonic prophylaxis combined with oral hygiene instructions was sufficient to treat gingivitis in adolescents (as assessed 15 and 30 days after treatment), this result is not observed in the present study. At 3 months, no clinical improvements were detected in the patients with or without diabetes who only received ultrasonic debridement (placebo groups), although it cannot be confirmed that improvements did not occur in the first month.…”

“…In systemically healthy patients with mild to moderate gingivitis, a fixed combination of four EOs demonstrated clear antiplaque and antigingivitis effects 22‐24,35,36 . Because ultrasonic debridement is believed to be an appropriate alternative to manual instrumentation, 37,38 the therapeutic approach selected for the present study involved the daily use of EO after ultrasonic debridement in a group of patients with diabetes. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, having a placebo as the comparator, the design of the present study also answered for the first time whether the adjunctive use of EO provides additional benefits based on different gingivitis indicators, even in the presence of diabetes.…”