Non-surgical periodontal therapy supplemented with systemically administered azithromycin: a systematic review of RCTs

Background Azithromycin may be an alternative adjunctive systemic antibiotic in non-surgical periodontal therapy. Objective This study aims to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating non-surgical periodontal treatment of chronic and/or aggressive periodontitis supplemented with systemically administered azithromycin. Materials and methods A systematic literature search was performed for publications published by 31 March 2014 using electronic databases and hand search. Randomized controlled trials published in English or German language, with a follow-up a parts per thousand yen6 months were included. From 231 titles identified, nine publications were eligible for inclusion. Results Among the studies included, showing some risk of bias, seven reported on patients with chronic periodontitis and two with aggressive periodontitis. Minor adverse events were described in five studies. A synthesis of results using a vote counting method was applied. Significant (p < 0.05) beneficial effects of azithromycin were shown in six studies for probing depth changes and in five studies for clinical attachment level changes. Conclusion In contrast to aggressive periodontitis patients, data from this analysis indicate a potential benefit of systemic azithromycin as adjunctive to non-surgical periodontal therapy in chronic periodontitis patients.