Comparative evaluation of different concentrations of povidone iodine as subgingival irrigant in the management of chronic periodontitis

Abstract

Background: Mechanical plaque control is the first line of management of chronic periodontitis. In recent years, a variety of adjuncts including irrigants, chemical plaque controlling agents, vitamin supplements, systemic and local antibiotics, local drug delivery, herbal extracts, probiotics are gaining importance. Povidone iodine is one of the most broad spectrum and potent antiseptics available at various concentrations. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess and compare the efficacy of various concentrations of povidone iodine as sub gin-gival irrigant in the management of chronic periodontitis. Materials And Methods: The present double blinded, parallel designed, randomized clinical trial was carried out in the Department of Periodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai, India. A total of 66 patients with generalised chronic periodontitis (22 participants in each group [Group 1 (povidone iodine 2%), Group 2 (povidone iodine 10%) and Group 3 (povidone iodine 0.1%)]) were enrolled. Scaling and root planing was done for all the participants and then the pocket was irrigated with respective irrigant. The clinical parameters including Loe and Silness Gingival Index (GI) and Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) were recorded at baseline and after 1 month. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Software, Version 23.0). One-way ANOVA was used to compare the mean values of GI and PPD between the groups. Tukey’s HSD post hoc test was done to find means that are significantly different from each other. Also, student’s paired t-test was used to compare the mean values of GI and PPD within the groups. Results: One-way ANOVA showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the baseline GI and PPD values as compared to the three mouthwash groups (p=0.865), but there was a statistically significant difference (p=0.000) observed between the three concentrations when compared after 1 month. Student’s paired t-test showed that the difference between the baseline and post GI and baseline and the post PPD was statistically significant in both Group 1 and Group 2 with the p value of 0.000. Conclusion: Significant improvement in gingival index and pocket depth suggests that subgingival povidone iodine irrigation could be an effective adjunct to scaling and root planing in the management of chronic periodontitis. Also, as the concentration of povidone iodine increases, the improvement in clinical parameters also increases.