Ozone-therapy in Non-surgical Periodontal Therapy

Overview

Non-surgical periodontal therapy is a widely adopted procedure for the treatment of periodontitis, particularly in its moderate to severe stages. The approach involves the mechanical and manual debridement of subgingival biofilm and calculus through the use of ultrasonic scalers and hand curettes. This method aims to disrupt the pathogenic bacterial load within periodontal pockets and promote clinical attachment gain while reducing inflammation. However, the mechanical removal of biofilm alone may not always ensure complete bacterial eradication, especially in deep or anatomically complex sites. To enhance bacterial disinfection and optimize clinical outcomes, the adjunctive use of ozone therapy has been introduced. This is a non-invasive technique that employs ozone in gaseous form to eliminate bacteria and fungi, inactivate viruses, and control bleeding. Its antiviral efficacy results from the denaturation of envelope proteins, impairment of viral adhesion to host cells, oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids within the lipid envelope, and degradation of single-stranded RNA. The synergistic effect of combining conventional non-surgical periodontal therapy with ozone therapy enables more thorough decontamination of periodontal pockets, even in cases where systemic antibiotics prove ineffective. The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical efficacy of adjunctive ozone therapy following non-surgical periodontal treatment in patients with severe periodontitis. The protocol consists of initial subgingival instrumentation using ultrasonic and manual tools, followed by the application of ozone therapy. The working hypothesis of this study is that the addition of ozone therapy provides superior bacterial reduction and improved clinical outcomes compared to mechanical therapy alone.