Effects of the systemic administration of omega -3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on experimental periodontitis: A histopathological study for rat’s periodontal tissue

Abstract

Periodontitis is a common inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of periodontal pocket and can lead to bone and tooth loss.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of omega-3 fatty acids (Eicosapentaenoic acid) as a treatment for ligation induced periodontitis using an animal model. Periodontitis was induced for the studied animals by ligation around the upper central incisor. Twenty five animals were used for the pilot study, and the eighty studied animalswith the induced periodontitis were divided into four equal groups according to the treatment used: Water, scaling/root planing, 60mg/kg eicosapentaenoic acid, and scaling/root planing with eicosapentaenoic acid. After three days, two, four, and six weeks treatment, five animals from each group were sacrificed, and the maxillae were collected, processed, and analyzed. The treatment by scaling and root planingtogether with the eicosapentaenoic acid can significantly reduce the periodontal damage index after four weeks, but whenthese treatment was used each one alone, it causes significant reduction in damage score after six weeks. For short duration of periodontal treatment, eicosapentaenoic acid can be used with scaling and root planing as a good treatment for periodontal disease.