Abstract:
Centella asiatica and Punica granatum are medicinal herbs that have been
reported to be effective in promoting the healing of wounds. In a previous study the
value of Centella asiatica and Punica granatum in chip form when used as an adjunct
in non-surgical periodontal treatment was found. The purpose of this controlled
clinical study was to evaluate the effect of herbal chips as an adjunctive treatment in
persistent pockets in healthy, smoking and diabetic patients. Thirty one maintenance
patients with probing depth 4-8 mm and attachment loss ≥ 5 mm were enrolled in this
study. They were divided into 10 healthy patients, 11 smoking patients and 10
diabetic patients. In each subject, two teeth in two quadrants in the same arch were
selected as target teeth and randomized into two different treatment groups, the test
group (SRP+herbal chip) and control group (SRP alone). All patients received SRP
and reinforced oral hygiene. The test group received the herbal chip. Clinical
parameters recorded at 0, 2, 4 and 6 months were probing pocket depth (PPD),
relative attachment loss (RAL), bleeding on probing (BOP), plaque index (PI) and
gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). At baseline and 6 months, all patients took the
standardized parallel radiographs at target sites for subtraction radiographs technique.
At 6 months, there were significant decreases in PPD, RAL, BOP and GCF from
baseline for both treatments. However, there was not a significant difference in plaque
index at all time intervals from baseline. There were no significant differences in
PPD, BOP and GCF between test and control groups. At 6 months, the test group
exhibited significantly greater RAL gain than the SRP alone group in healthy and
smoker groups. However, these gains were not significant in the diabetic group. In the
results of the digital subtraction procedure, the test group showed more gain of
alveolar bone than SRP alone. However, further investigations are necessary to gather
more information that may be useful in explaining possible mechanisms responsible
for the enhancing effects of herbal chips in periodontal healing.