An Exploratory Comparative Study of the Efficacy of Locally Delivered 3 Percent Psidium Guajava Gel and Probiotic Gel as an Adjunct to Non Surgical Periodontal Therapy in Chronic Periodontitis- A Clinical and Microbiological Assay

·       Chronic periodontitis is an infectious disease resulting in inflammation within the supporting tissues of the teeth, leading to the progressive attachment loss and bone loss

·       Elevated levels of certain microbiological species are associated with the disease. It is essential to minimize the microbial load to combat the infection.

·       Non surgical therapy such as scaling and root planing along with certain chemical antibacterial strategies such as systemic antibiotics and oral rinses and irrigating agents are generally used.

·       But, none of these therapies have provided significant clinical benefit in reducing the clinical signs of chronic periodontal disease and also side effects are not uncommon with systemic antibiotics

·       To overcome this, a new strategy has emerged to deposit antimicrobials directly into pocket and maintain effective concentration of the drug  for an extended period. This is known as LOCAL DRUG DELIVERY

 Â·       In an attempt to overcome the limitations of mechanical debridement and ill effects of chemotherapeutic agents, research still continues to find new and better alternatives to conventional treatment protocols.One of the alternatives are the medicinal herbs which has been extensively used in ayurveda but lacks sufficient research in modern medicine.

 Â·       Psidium guajava , commonly known as guava, has been used in folk medicine as a therapeutic agent. The leaves of the plant P. guajava are reported to possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It has shown inhibitory effects against staphylococcus aureus,streptococcus mutans,pseudomonas aeruginosa,salmonella enteritidis,bacillus cereus,proteus spp.,shigella spp.and Escherichia coli which causes intestinal infections.

  ·       Probiotics are being used to help in the recolonization of beneficial bacteria as well as to modulate the immune response. These agents have been administered in the form of tablets, gums, lozenges, and mouthrinses to name a few..The most commonly used species of probiotics belong to the Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia, Enterococcus, and Bacillus genera. These probiotic benefits oral health by defending the growth of harmful bacteria and by modulating mucosal immunity in the oral cavity.