Photoactivated disinfection using light-emitting diode as an adjunct in the management of chronic periodontitis: a pilot double-blind split-mouth randomized clinical trial

Aim This split-mouth double-masked randomized controlled clinical study evaluated the effectiveness of photoactivated disinfection (PAD) using light-emitting diode (LED) as an adjunct in the management of patients affected by moderate to severe chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods Sixteen patients affected by moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were enrolled. After scaling and root planing (SRP), each quadrant was assigned to one of the following groups: LED group (625635 nm, maximum power density: 2000 mW/cm2), photosensitizer group (tolouidine blue O, 0.1 mg/ml), PAD group (photosensitizer and LED) and control group (no adjunctive treatment). The adjunctive treatments were repeated after 7 and 14 days. The clinical parameters of bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth and clinical attachment level were measured at baseline and 1 and 3 months after SRP. Results At 1 and 3 months, all groups showed significant improvements with regard to all clinical parameters compared to baseline (all p: <0.001). There were no significant differences among groups in terms of changes of clinical parameters in any time interval (all p > 0.05). Conclusion The application of PAD using LED with the current setting did not have additional effects on clinical parameters in patients diagnosed with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis compared with SRP alone.