rhPDGF-BB+β-TCP is safe and effective in the treatment of periodontal defects. It increases bone formation and soft tissue healing (clinicaltrials.gov, number NCT00496847; CTRI No.: CTRI/2008/091/000152).

Objective:Periodontitis is known to have multifactorial etiology, involving interplay between environmental, host and microbial factors. The current treatment approaches are aimed at reducing the pathogenic microorganisms. Administration of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) has emerged as a promising concept in the prevention and treatment of periodontitis. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of the local use of probiotics as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis and halitosis.Methods:This is a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial involving 32 systemically healthy chronic periodontitis patients. After SRP, the subjects were randomly assigned into the test and control groups. Test group (SRP + probiotics) received subgingival delivery of probiotics and probiotic mouthwash, and control group (SRP + placebo) received subgingival delivery of placebo and placebo mouthwash for 15 days. Plaque index (PI), modified gingival index (MGI), and bleeding index (BI) were assessed at baseline, 1 and 3 months thereafter, whereas probing depth (PD) and clinical attachment level were assessed at baseline and after 3 months. Microbial assessment using N-benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) and halitosis assessment using organoleptic scores (ORG) was done at baseline, 1 and 3 months.Findings:All the clinical and microbiological parameters were significantly reduced in both groups at the end of the study. Inter-group comparison of PD reduction (PDR) and clinical attachment gain (CAG) revealed no statistical significance except for PDR in moderate pockets for the test group. Test group has shown statistically significant improvement in PI, MGI, and BI at 3 months compared to control group. Inter-group comparison revealed a significant reduction in BANA in test group at 1 month. ORG were significantly reduced in test group when compared to control group.Conclusion:Within the limitations of the study, the present investigation showed that the adjunctive use of probiotics offers clinical benefit in terms of pocket depth reduction in moderate pockets and reduced oral malodor parameters.

Majority of the studies showed that laser therapy seemed to be effective in reducing pain in BMS patients. However, due to the varied methodologies and substantial variations in laser parameters among these studies, more clinical trials are required to ascertain the efficacy of laser for treating BMS.

The limited available evidence suggests that PDT is an effective treatment option for the management of OLP. However, due to the limited number of studies included in this review and heterogeneity among these studies, more well-designed clinical trials with adequate sample sizes are highly warranted.

ObjectivesThe present systematic review assessed the efficacy of aloe vera mouthrinse on plaque and gingival inflammation.MethodsA comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science was conducted in February 2018 to identify all relevant studies using the following keywords: aloe vera, gingivitis, gingival inflammation, plaque‐induced gingivitis, periodontal health and plaque control. The eligibility criteria were all randomized clinical trials that assessed the efficacy of aloe vera mouthrinse in comparison to chlorhexidine on plaque and gingivitis. The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool.ResultsSix randomized clinical trials comprising 1358 subjects were included in this systematic review. All included studies showed that aloe vera was effective in reducing plaque and gingival inflammation. Four studies found aloe vera as effective as chlorhexidine in reducing plaque scores, while two studies found chlorhexidine significantly more effective than aloe vera. With regard to gingival inflammation, three studies showed comparable results between aloe vera and chlorhexidine, while one study showed better results with chlorhexidine. Moreover, the results showed that aloe vera had no or very minimal side effects compared to chlorhexidine, which showed significant side effects including stains and altered taste sensation.ConclusionThe available evidence remains inconclusive but suggests that aloe vera mouthwash is comparable to chlorhexidine in reducing gingival inflammation but inferior to chlorhexidine in reducing plaque. These findings are preliminary and further high‐quality studies with adequate sample sizes are highly recommended.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology and indefinite cure. This systematic review assessed the efficacy of low-level laser therapy in the treatment of symptomatic OLP. Electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched from date of inception till and including December 2016, using various combinations of the following keywords: oral lichen planus, laser therapy, low-level laser therapy, and phototherapy. Owing to heterogeneity of data, no statistical analyses were conducted. Initially, 227 publications were identified. After selection, only six studies were included in this systematic review. In these studies, the laser wavelengths, power output, and duration of irradiation ranged between 630-980 nm, 20-300 mW, and 10 s-15 min, respectively. All of the included studies found laser to be effective in management of OLP, without any reported adverse effects. The results of the included studies confirm that low-level laser therapy is effective in management of symptomatic OLP and can be used as an alternative to corticosteroids. However, due to variety of methods and substantial variations in laser parameters among these studies, more randomized clinical trials with large sample sizes are highly warranted.

Background: Frenectomy is the complete excision of the frenum along with its attachment to the underlying bone. It can be done by conventional technique, electrosurgery or soft tissue lasers. Aim: To evaluate the effects of diode laser and scalpel technique on degree of post-operative pain and discomfort experienced by patients on the 1 st , 3 rd and the 7 th post-operative days after frenectomy. Materials and Methods: Ten patients who required frenectomy were randomly assigned to undergo treatment with diode laser or scalpel. The data were analyzed with paired t-test and intragroup comparison was determined by ANOVA. Results: Intergroup comparison of the mean VAS scores for discomfort and pain for both the groups showed significant difference. The VAS scores of pain and discomfort within scalpel group between 1 st and 3 rd day did not show any significant difference, however between 7 th day versus 3 rd and 1 st day difference was highly significant. The VAS scores of pain and discomfort within laser group between all the days showed significant difference. Conclusion: Taking into consideration the clinical outcome, the diode laser is a dependable alternative as it is an efficient and satisfactory option for procedures like frenectomy.

Aims:To evaluate the efficacy of Aloe Vera mouth rinse on experimental plaque accumulation and gingivitis.Materials and Methods:In this randomized, controlled, and double-blind study, a total of 148 systemically healthy subjects were screened in the age group of 18-25 years. Finally, 120 subjects were requested to abstain from oral hygiene (tooth brushing) for 14 days and used a specially fabricated plaque guard. Following cessation of tooth brushing in the specified area, the subjects were randomly divided into Group A (test group) who received 100% Aloe vera, Group B (negative control group) who received placebo (distilled water), and Group C (positive control group) who received 0.2% chlorhexidine. The rinse regimen began on the 15th day and continued for 7 days. Plaque accumulation was assessed by Plaque Index (PI) and gingivitis was assessed by Modified Gingival Index (MGI) and Bleeding Index (BI) at baseline (0), 7th, 14th, and 22nd days.Results:There was statistically significant decrease in PI, MGI, and BI scores after the rinse regimen began in both Group A (test group) and Group C (chlorhexidine) compared with Group B. Mouth wash containing Aloe vera showed significant reduction of plaque and gingivitis but when compared with chlorhexidine the effect was less significant.Conclusion:Aloe vera mouthwash can be an effective antiplaque agent and with appropriate refinements in taste and shelf life can be an affordable herbal substitute for chlorhexidine.