The use of metronidazole in the treatment of periodontal diseases.

Diagnostic microbiology and the use of antibiotics should be considered as available tools in periodontal therapy. It appears that the dental health profession has yet to develop a consensus as to whether or not the use of antibiotics alone can wholly or partially replace traditional treatments such as debridement and surgery. The combined use of periodontal microbiology and antibiotic therapy, however, perhaps qualifies as an extension of traditional courses of treatment following a proper clinical diagnosis. Metronidazole offers the periodontist (therapist) the benefits of a high degree of efficacy and relatively few and/or mild adverse side effects. Also it is an antibiotic to which susceptible anaerobes have yet to develop clinical resistance. Therefore, it qualifies as the preferred drug against anaerobic infections under this combined treatment program.