[A clinical and histological study of the efficacy of betadine on gingival inflammation].

12 patients (7 men and 5 women) with advanced periodontitis and probing depths of 4mm or more were selected to assess the effectiveness of an antiseptic: betadine used in situ, as a subgingival irrigation in periodontal pockets. Although widely used in other fields of medicine such as gynecology and dermatology, betadine has not been used in periodontology. However, betadine is an excellent antiseptic with a wide range of action. The slow release of iodine explains why this antiseptic is well tolerated by mucosae. The oral cavity was divided in 2 parts: the left side was irrigated with betadine while the right side was irrigated with saline which was used as a control. Irrigations were performed once a day during a period of 15 days. Patients were able to carry out the irrigations themselves after careful, instruction. Thc practitioner carried out the irrigation on day 0 and day 8. The comparison of clinical and histological data showed a decrease in gingival inflammation after 15 days of treatment. By means of the Student "t" test significant decreases in the plaque index, the gingival, index and the bleeding index were observed between day 0 and day 15 as well as a significant increase in recession. These clinical results were correlated with histological findings. Significant decreases in the volumetric density of the infiltrated connective tissue, the non collagenous structures and the number of plasma cells were observed as well as significant increases in the volumetric density of the non-infiltrated connective tissue of the collagenous structures and the number of fibroblasts.