Silver or Not? The impact of nanoparticles dressings on Wound recovery and Patient experience following periodontal flap surgery :A double blinded Randomised clinical trial

Periodontal dressings are commonly used after surgical procedures such as gingivectomy and flap surgeries to protect the wound, minimize postoperative pain and bleeding, prevent infection, and enhance patient comfort. Traditional zinc oxide–eugenol dressings, though effective, caused irritation and delayed healing, leading to the development of non-eugenol materials like Coe-Pak™. Despite its widespread use, Coe-Pak™ offers limited antimicrobial protection and suboptimal handling properties. Recent advances have introduced silver nanoparticle (AgNP)-based dressings such as ACTICOAT®, which possess strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and promote faster soft-tissue repair. Incorporating ACTICOAT® with Coe-Pak™ may therefore improve gingival wound healing by combining mechanical protection with enhanced biologic activity. The present study aims to clinically, biochemically, and microbiologically compare early gingival wound healing and patient compliance following the placement of Coe-Pak™ alone versus a combination of ACTICOAT® and Coe-Pak™ after periodontal flap surgery.