Adjunctive benefits of subantimicrobial dose doxycycline in the management of severe, generalized, chronic periodontitis.

Background: Severe, generalized periodontitis is a form of chronic periodontitis that appears to be associated with an exaggerated host response. Little information is available on the benefits of using adjunctive host modulation in the management of this form of periodontal disease.

Methods: Thirty subjects < or = 45 years of age with severe, generalized periodontitis received subgingival debridement and oral hygiene instructions each week for 4 weeks, plus 6 months of adjunctive subantimicrobial doxycycline (SDD) or placebo.