Using Chemical Pocket Disinfection as an Adjunct to Non-surgical Maintenance Therapy of Inflamed Periodontal Pockets

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the adjunctive use of chemical pocket disinfection with scaling and root planing is more effective than scaling and root planing alone in clinically reducing periodontal probing depth (PD), reducing bleeding on probing (BOP), and gaining clinical attachment level (CAL). It also will assess whether chemical pocket disinfection with scaling and root planing will have an effect on biomarkers of inflammation, as indicated by presence of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, compared to scaling and root planing alone. The chemical pocket disinfection therapy consists of delivering a sodium hypochlorite solution followed by a neutralizing citric acid solution to the test site. Pro-inflammatory interleukin-1 beta and anti-inflammatory interleukin-1 receptor antagonist will be measured from the gingival crevicular fluid sampled from sites of interest.