[Efficacy of 1% povidone-iodine mouthwash combined with scaling and root planing in the treatment of periodontitis: a randomized, controlled trial].

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of 1% povidone-iodine mouthwash combined with scaling and root planing in patients with stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ class A/B periodontitis, and to provide a basis for the clinical application of povidone-iodine mouthwash.

Methods: Seventy-five subjects were included in this trial and randomly divided into three groups. After full-mouth ultrasonic supragingival cleansing, scaling and root planing, the placebo group was treated with sodium chloride injection (NaCl group), the control group was treated with compound chlorhexidine mouthwash (CHX group), and the experimental group was treated with 1% povidone-iodine mouthwash (PVP-I group), and rinsed their mouths for 1 week, respectively. Subjects were tested at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after dosing for clinical indicators, microbial composition of supragingival plaque, gingival crevicular fluid inflammatory marker levels, and patient-reported outcomes.

Results: Sixty-three subjects completed the follow-up. After treatment, the clinical indicators, microbial indicators, and inflammatory indicators were all significantly improved (P<0.05). Comparisons among the groups showed that one week after treatment, the bleeding index and plaque index of the CHX group and the PVP-I group were lower than those of the NaCl group, and the plaque index of the CHX group was lower than that of the PVP-I group (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the other clinical indicators among the groups (P>0.05). Twelve weeks after treatment, the Shannon index of the CHX group was lower than that of the NaCl group (P<0.05), and there were no statistically significant differences in the other microbial indicators among the groups (P>0.05). Twelve weeks after treatment, the interleukin-10 concentration of the CHX group was higher than that of the NaCl group (P<0.05), and there were no statistically significant differences in the other inflammatory indicators among the groups (P>0.05). The PVP-I group had the highest scores in terms of taste and oral odor. There was no obvious staining on the tooth surfaces and mucosa in all three groups.

Conclusions: 1% PVP-I mouthwash combined with scaling and root planing can effectively reduce gingival inflammation and dental plaque, improve clinical symptoms in the short term. While its efficacy is not significantly inferior to that of chlorhexidine, PVP-I mouthwash is more acceptable to patients than chlorhexidine.