ABSTRACT
Objectives: In this study the effect of Nitazoxanide (NTZ) delivered subgingivally as thermosensitive hydrogel on the clinical and biochemical outcomes of scaling and root planing (SRP) was evaluated compared to SRP alone in patients with stage II periodontitis.
Materials and Methods: A randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted on forty adult patients equally divided between a control group treated with full-mouth SRP and a test group treated with SRP and sub gingivally-delivered 0.01% NTZ gel. The gel was administered twice, one week after SRP and a week later. Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), gingival index (GI), and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) were measured at baseline and after 3 and 6 months and compared in addition to the reduction in these values from baseline to 6 months using Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: There were significantly greater reductions in the test than the control groups at 6 months regarding PD (mean= 3.1mm and 2.3mm, P= 0.001), CAL (2.3mm and 1.7mm, P= 0.013), percentage of sites with BoP (mean= 1.6% and 1%, P= 0.001), GI (mean= 2.3 and 1.6, P= 0.006), and MMP-8 level (mean= 1.8 and 0.9, P= 0.028).
Conclusions: NTZ has potential when combined with SRP as an adjunctive for the treatment of stage II periodontitis, offering added benefit over SRP alone based on clinical and biochemical findings.


Trial registration: The study was retrospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT04768530 on 24/2/2021.

Keywords: Antimicrobial, Biochemical, Gingival crevicular fluid, Matrix metalloproteinase-8, Periodontitis.