Clinical and microbiological study of local minocycline delivery (Periocline) following scaling and root planing in recurrent periodontal pockets.

This study was designed to evaluate the clinical and microbiological effects of local administration of 2% minocycline-HCl ointment (Periocline) combined with scaling and root planing in recurrent periodontal pockets. Thirty-three sites were selected for this examination. The sites had probing depths greater than 5 mm and loss of attachment greater than 2 mm within the previous 3 months. They were assigned as test (22 sites) or control sites (11 sites). After meticulous scaling (SC) and root planing (RP), Periocline was delivered into the periodontal pockets of test sites: control sites were irrigated with biological saline following SC/RP. Administration of Periocline or irrigation with saline was performed once a week for 4 consecutive weeks. The effects on clinical conditions including probing pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and bleeding on probing were evaluated at baseline, 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Microbiological examinations consisting of darkfield microscopic study and culture were performed at baseline, 4, and 12 weeks. Clinical conditions improved in both groups following treatment; significantly better improvements were obtained in the test group. Microbiological study revealed that Periocline effectively eliminated periodontopathic gram-negative bacteria. These results indicated that a combination of SC/RP with local administration of 2% minocycline for recurrent periodontal pockets brought about more satisfactory results than conventional SC/RP.