Clinical effects of Emdogain and antibiotics in non-surgical periodontal therapy

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effects of non-surgical periodontal treatment, supplemented with enamel matrix derivative (EMD) and/or systemic antibiotics, in deep periodontal pockets of patients with chronic periodontitis. Methods: This was a randomized, placebo controlled longitudinal clinical trial of 12 months duration. Using a split-mouth design, 16 subjects were randomly assigned to treatment with EMD or placebo in contralateral dentition areas. One half of the subjects received 250 mg Metronidazole and 375 mg Amoxycillin 3/d for 7 days and the other half received a placebo. One interproximal periodontal lesion was chosen as study site in each of the contralateral quadrants. Results: Subjects treated with systemic antibiotics yielded significantly better clinical results than those treated with placebo. In these cases, PPD was reduced significantly more after 6 months (3.1±2.1 mm vs. 1.6±1.4 mm, p=0.05), and the mean CAL gain was significantly greater after 6 months (2.3±1.9 mm vs. 0.7± 1.6 mm, p=0.02) and 12 months (2.3± 3.5 mm vs. 0.4± 3.8 mm, p=0.02). Sites treated with the antibiotics plus EMD gained the largest amount of clinical attachment. There was no significant benefit of EMD adjunctive to SRP in subjects not treated with antibiotics. Conclusions: The present study supports the notion that optimal repair and regeneration of the periodontium requires suppression of the microbiota causing periodontal disease. In deep pockets treated with SRP, adjunctive antimicrobial therapy promotes the effect of EMD.