Effect of the topical application of triclosan in periodontally treated patients

The aim of this clinical parallel, double-blind study was to evaluate the effect of irrigating, with 0.6% triclosan, periodontal pockets 2 4 mm showing persisting signs of inflammation 90 days after sub-gingival scaling and root planing. 14 patients, aged 35-61 years, were randomly assigned to test group (TG) or placebo group (PG). In TG, pockets were rinsed with 10 ml of triclosan while in PG, pockets were rinsed with placebo. Irrigations were repeated fort-nightly for 70 days (total 6 rinses). Clinical examinations consisted of Plaque Index (PlI), Gingival Index (GI), Bleeding on Probing (BOP), Periodontal Probing Depth (PPD) and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL). Median values of PlI, GI and BOP were analyzed over time with the Friedman test and for the multiple comparisons with Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests. Means for PPD, and CAL were analyzed with repeated measurements ANOVA (p<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the PlI and GI between groups. BOP was reduced significantly in both groups in a similar fashion. Significant reductions in PPD were observed for both groups. TG showed a PPD reduction of 0.8 mm whereas PG reduced 0.4 mm. No difference was found among groups for PPD. CAL gain for the TG group was 0.7 mm and for the PG of 0.5 mm. Only the gains observed for the TG group were significant. It can be concluded that 0.6% triclosan or placebo irrigation, 3 months after non-surgical treatment, of sites with persistent signs of inflammation, produced similar results.