Does adjunctive use of metronidazole plus amoxicillin benefit patients receiving non-surgical scaling and root planning for the treatment of generalised aggressiveperiodontitis?

Abstract

This article describes a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial that involved 30 eligible subjects experiencing generalised aggressive periodontitis. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the test group (scaling and root planning + metronidazole [400 mg]) and amoxicillin [500 mg]) or the control group (scaling and root planning without the adjunctive antibiotics combination). Both antibiotics and placebos were administered three times per day for 14 days. Participants were examined at baseline, and again six months and one year after therapy. Both therapies led to a statistically significant improvement in all clinical parameters as measured after one year. However, subjects who received the metronidazole–amoxicillin combination showed the greatest reduction in mean probing depth, an improved clinical attachment level and a lower mean number of residual sites after one year. The investigators concluded that the non-surgical treatment of generalised aggressive periodontitis was markedly improved by the adjunctive use of metronidazole and amoxicillin up to one year after treatment.