The Effects of Tetracycline Containing Etylene Vinil Asetate (EVA) fibers on the Clinical Parameters of Chronic Periodontitis

Objectives: There exist a number of studies investigating the effects of %25 tetracycline HCl containing EVA fibers on clinical parameters of chronic periodontitis when they are used as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment. However, these studies has focused on the use of this system simultaneously with conventional non-surgical periodontal therapy. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effects of % 25 tetracycline HCl containing EVA fibers used as a single dose or in a serial application, in periodontal sites which did not respond to non-surgical therapy. Methods: The study consisted of 30 chronic periodontitis patients which were divided equally into three groups; two test groups and a control group. Non-surgical periodontal therapy was performed in all subjects. After a period of three weeks, the first test group, that did not respond to therapy, had a single dose application of tetracycline fibers for 8 days, and the second test group underwent serial application for 16 days. In the control group, only non-surgical periodontal therapy was performed. Plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth and relative attachment levels were recorded before and after the application procedures and repeated at 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th months. The intra-group differences were evaluated using t-test in paired series. The inter- group evaluation was analysed using Kruskal- Wallis one way variance analysis and Mann- Whitney test. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the test and control groups compared to the initial values. The inter-group comparison showed a significant difference between serial fiber application group, and the control group at 1st month regarding bleeding on probing (p< 0.001). Conclusions: The application of tetracycline fibers in periodontal pockets may be considered as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy in a short period of 3 months for the improvement of clinical parameters of chronic periodontitis.