The Efficacy of Adjunctive Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy for Residual Pockets in Previously Surgically Treated Teeth: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

A single-center, randomized, double-blind, longitudinal study will take place over 12 months. Twenty-eight systemically healthy patients (i.e. absence of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, cancer, HIV, bone metabolic diseases, or disorders that compromise wound healing) enrolled in a supportive periodontal therapy program and patients at the University of Manitoba Graduate Periodontics Clinic, with at least one surgically treated site with a residual pocket probing depth of ≥ 5mm and bleeding upon probing and having signed the informed consent will be accepted into the study. PPD, CAL, BOP, and PI will be evaluated at these sites. A selected participant will have a full mouth periodontal charting completed prior to baseline measurements as part of their maintenance program.

Once selected the patient will see two clinicians: the examiner (hygienist) and operator (resident).

The examiner records the data (PPD, CAL, BOP, PI) of the entire dentition including the selected tooth or teeth, and provides preliminary hygiene treatment; the operator delivers the test treatments.

The treatment assignments are concealed to the patient and the examiner. The operator is unaware of previously recorded data except for pocket depth measurements and is not involved in the post-treatment evaluations (3,6,12 months). At 12 months, a full mouth re-evaluation will be completed by the examiner as part of the patient's maintenance program.

In the first visit, the examiner records the pocket probing depth, clinical attachment level, presence of bleeding on probing, and plaque index at six sites on involved teeth. Thorough scaling and root planing is performed under local anesthesia using periodontal curettes (Gracey, Hu-Friedy, USA) and an ultrasonic device (Piezo, Ultradent, USA). Once complete, the operator takes over. The patients are then randomly assigned to test or control groups by a computer-generated table. The protocol may be: A, the laser is activated during treatments with methylene blue; B, the laser is never activated during treatments with saline solution.