Local Drug Delivery in Periodontal Therapy: A Contemporary Review

Abstract

Background: Periodontal disease is characterized by inflammation of supporting tissues of the teeth, resulting in progressive attachment loss, bone loss and subsequent tooth loss. Both non-surgical and surgical therapy can be used for the management of periodontal diseases. Systemic and local drug delivery of antimicrobials can be used as an adjunct to non-surgical therapy. Objective: The aim of this review article is to provide a better understanding regarding various local drug delivery agents used in periodontal therapy and their advantage over systemic delivery of antimicrobials. Conclusion: Placement of Local drug delivery restricts the drug within the periodontal pocket itself wherein they attain a much-elevated concentration. This review article includes various advances in local drug delivery systems. Most of the research is aimed at the use of LDD as either monotherapy or in combination with SRP. Further studies are required to determine the long-term benefit of these devices.