Clinical utility of locally-delivered collagen-based biodegradable tetracycline fibers in periodontal therapy: an in vivo study.

Aim: The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate and compare the efficacy of resorbable collagen-based tetracycline fibers (Periodontal Plus AB fibers) given as an adjunct to scaling and root planing, with the clinical effects of scaling and root planning delivered as a monotherapy, in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.

Methods: A split-mouth design was used to conduct this study. Forty patients with periodontal pockets ranging from ≥ 5 mm to ≤ 7 mm, with minimum of two sites in two non-adjacent quadrants, were selected for the study. The treatment sites in each patient were randomly divided into the control and experimental groups. All of the selected sites were treated with scaling and root planning, and then collagen-based resorbable tetracycline fibers were placed adjunctively in the experimental sites at the same visit. Baseline and follow-up measurements in both treatment groups included plaque index, sulcus bleeding index, probing pocket depth, and relative attachment level.

Results: Although significant clinical benefits were obtained in both treatment groups, the adjunctive antimicrobial use of tetracycline fibers demonstrated better results compared to the control group over the 3-month observational period.

Conclusions: The delivery of antimicrobial agent tetracycline in a collagen matrix was found to improve the benefits of scaling and root planing by a larger magnitude in patients with moderate-to-deep pockets.