Photodynamic Therapy in Non-Surgical Treatment of Periodontitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Aim: to evaluate the adjunctive effects of photodynamic therapy (aPDT) on nonsurgical mechanical treatment in patients with periodontitis. Materials and methods: The search strategy was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines to answer research questions regarding the effectiveness of aPDT in association with non-surgical periodontal therapy. The mean values and standard deviations were collected by data extraction. A descriptive comparison between aPDT in association with periodontal treatment and periodontal treatment alone was performed, and meta-analyses of PPD were also performed. Both randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were included. Results: Out of 2059 records, 14 articles on adjunctive photodynamic therapy were included because they met the eligibility criteria. A comparison between the aPDT data and the control group showed improved PPD for photodynamic therapy (SMD -0.76, p = 0.003; I-2 = 88%). Statistical analysis was then applied to the three PPD subgroups. The first group included studies that used indocyanine green in association with a wavelength of 810 nm (SMD -1.79, p < 0.00001, I-2 = 88%). The second group included studies that used phenothiazine chloride at a wavelength of 660 nm (SMD -0.03, p = 0.84, I-2 = 0%). The last group included studies that used methylene blue photosensitizers treated with a wavelength 628-670 nm were included (SMD -0.13, p = 0.38; I-2 = 0%). Conclusions: despite the limited number of RCTs and the great heterogeneity between them, it can be concluded that aPDT in association with nonsurgical periodontal treatment improved the clinical parameters at 3 months.

Automated summary

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adjunctive effects of photodynamic therapy (aPDT) on nonsurgical mechanical treatment in patients with periodontitis. The results showed that despite the limited number of RCTs and the great heterogeneity between them, it can be concluded that aPDT in association with nonsurgical periodontal treatment improved the clinical parameters at 3 months.