Azithromycin in the treatment of aggressive periodontitis: Three months results
2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Dental & Oral Health
April 21-23, 2014 Crown Plaza Dubai, UAE

R Hourieh, R Khattab and J M Albandar

Accepted Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag

Abstract:

Objective: To assess the efficacy of systemic azithromycin as a supplement to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of aggressive periodontitis (AgP). Methods: 26 AgP patients, 14?28 years old (mean 21y) were examined. At baseline subgingival plaque was collected from 5 pockets per subject (N=130). The subjects were randomized into 2 groups, and patients and the examiner were blinded. The test group was treated with scaling and root planning with supplementary azithromycin 500 mg tablets once daily for 3 days. The control group was treated similarly but administered placebo tablets. The subgingival plaque was re- collected 3 months postoperatively. The plaque samples (total=260) were used to assess presence of 11 periodontal bacteria using DNA analysis by PCR Test. Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon were used to compare group ranks. Results: The periodontal pathogens in the test group had a significant decrease (p<0. 05) in the number of sites with detectable A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, F. nucleatum, T. denticola, and C. rectus. In the control group none of the tested bacteria significantly decreased. The decrease in detectable bacteria was greater in the test than the control groups (p<0. 05). Conclusion: The use of azithromycin as a supplement in the treatment of aggressive periodontitis significantly reduces the number of sites with detectable periodontal pathogens.