Adjunctive Drug-Loaded Gel in the Treatment of Periodontitis: A Systematic Evaluation and Meta-Analysis.

Background: This meta-analysis aimed to systematically investigate the efficacy of drug-loaded gel adjuncts in the treatment of periodontitis.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in six databases, i.e., the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Data, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database, China Biology Medicine Disc, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science, from the inception until Jun 2023. The search focused on randomized controlled trials that examined the application of drug-loaded gels in the treatment of periodontitis. Periodontal probing depth and clinical attachment level were the primary and secondary outcomes, respectively. Stata 15.0 and Review Manager 5.4 were employed to perform the meta-analysis using the selected articles that met the predefined criteria.

Results: This study included 16 randomized controlled trials involving 1146 participants. Subgroup analyses based on the follow-up period revealed that the gel-based drug-assisted subgingival root planning intervention had more favorable effects on periodontal probing depth (standardized mean difference=0.50, 95% confidence interval=[0.32, 0.68], I ² =56.0%, P=0.001) and clinical attachment level (standardized mean difference=0.47, 95% confidence interval=[0.29, 0.66], I ² =57.0%, P=0.0007) than the subgingival root planning intervention alone. However, subgroup analysis based on the action mechanism of gel drugs showed no statistically significant differences in periodontal probing depth and clinical attachment level between groups.

Conclusion: The application of the drug-loaded gel as adjunctive therapy for periodontitis effectively reduced periodontal probing depth and promoted clinical attachment level recovery. The findings provide evidence-based support for the efficacy, security, and rational use of drug-loaded gel in the treatment of periodontitis.