Modulatory Effect of Probiotic Fiber (Lactobacillus reuteri) in Residual Periodontal Pockets: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Background And Aim: Periodontal disease is a chronic microbial infection characterized by inflammation and destruction of periodontal tissues. Probiotics, such as , offer potential benefits in periodontal therapy due to their antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and microbiological efficacy of locally administered biodegradable fibers containing as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in managing chronic periodontitis.

Material And Methods: A single-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm, randomized clinical trial was conducted with 30 patients aged 30-60 years diagnosed with chronic periodontitis were randomized into test (SRP + probiotic fiber) and control (SRP + placebo fiber) groups. Clinical parameters, including plaque index (PI), bleeding index (BI), probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and microbial load ( via quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR)) were assessed at baseline and three months post-treatment. Quantification of was conducted using real-time quantitative PCR. The Shapiro-Wilk test assessed normality, and the Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests were used for inter- and intra-group comparisons.

Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in clinical parameters (p<0.05). The test group achieved a 45.66% reduction in PI, 57.83% reduction in BI, and significant improvements in PPD (43.06%) and CAL (43.06%). Microbial load decreased more in the test group (63.00%) than in the control group (26.08%).

Conclusions: Adjunctive use of in biodegradable fiber form improves clinical outcomes, highlighting its potential as a non-invasive adjunctive treatment for chronic periodontitis. Further studies are warranted to validate long-term efficacy.