Photodynamic Therapy in Periodontal and Peri-Implant Treatment

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proposed as a modality to reduce bacterial load or even to eliminate periodontal pathogens. An extremely important aspect which needs to be kept in mind when considering the use of PDT is the lack of bacterial resistance, which gains even more importance in light of the worldwide increase in bacterial resistance against antibiotics. The use of PDT as a potential alternative to local antibiotics has been evaluated in an RCT study comparing nonsurgical treatment of incipient peri-implantitis by means of mechanical debridement followed by either use of local antibiotics or application of PDT. The results at six months and at one year have failed to reveal statistically or clinically significant differences between the two treatment protocols, thus suggesting that PDT may represent a valuable alternative to local antibiotics during nonsurgical treatment of incipient peri-implantitis.