The Dyanamics of Light- The Photodyanamic Therapy. Are We Forgetting It!

Abstract

Plaque biolms is the primary etiology for periodontitis. Mechanical debridement procedures to treat periodontitis still remain the gold standard but adjunctive antimicrobial therapy is also required in certain cases. However the use of antibiotics has their own disadvantages of creating resistant bacterial forms as well as systemic side effects. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a novel non-invasive therapeutic approach which overcomes these problems. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) or photochemotherapy has increased pathogen specicity as well as site specicity and hence no systemic effects. PDTinvolves the use of a photosensitiser which on exposure to light of specic wavelength, gets activated, to form toxic oxygen species which further cause a localised photodamage and cell death. As PDT is with no localised as well as systemic adverse effects, its application in periodontal disease treatment continues to evolve into a mature clinical treatment modality.