Malarial chemoprophylaxis and the healing of periodontal lesions.

Abstract

A randomized study was carried out using 92 patients (39 taking a malarial chemoprophylactic agent and 53 not taking a chemoprophylactic agent) to investigate the rate of healing of ulcerative periodontitis after treatment. The chemoprophylaxis group who had been on 300 mg chloroquine weekly for at least one year and the non-chemoprophylaxis group who had not been on the regimen for at least one year were involved in the study which examined the global efficacy and assessment for pain relief over a period of 12 weeks after treatment for ulcerative periodontitis. A detailed, symtomatic and clinical assessment was made at biweekly intervals. Relief from pain was higher for the non-chemoprophylaxis group (94.2% vs. 46.2%, p less than 0.05). The global efficacy was statistically significant for the non-chemoprophylaxis group (87% vs. 38.4%, p less than 0.05). The outcome of treatment was not influenced by factors such as duration of chemoprophylaxis, initial severity of pain and smoking habits of the patients.