Green Tea Extract Gel for Local Drug Delivery System as an Adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing in Chronic Periodontitis

Abstract

Background:

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of the supporting structures of the teeth due to the interaction between periodontal pathogens and the host immune response. Although scaling and root planing (SRP) is considered the primary treatment modality, complete removal of pathogenic microorganisms from periodontal pockets may be difficult. Herbal agents with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties have gained attention as adjuncts to periodontal therapy. Green tea is rich in polyphenols, particularly catechins, which exhibit antioxidant and antibacterial activity against periodontal pathogens. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of locally delivered green tea extract gel as an adjunct to SRP in the management of chronic periodontitis.

  Materials and Methods:

  Green tea extract was prepared using ethanol extraction and formulated into a 20% gel with Carbopol 940 as the base. Its antimicrobial activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Fusobacterium nucleatum was evaluated using broth dilution and agar well diffusion methods. A randomized split-mouth clinical study was conducted on 30 patients aged 30–55 years presenting with probing pocket depths of 4–6 mm. Test sites received SRP along with locally delivered green tea extract gel, while control sites were treated with SRP alone. Clinical parameters including Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), and Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) were recorded at baseline and after 21 days. Data were analyzed statistically using SPSS software with the level of significance set at p<0.05.

   Results:

Both groups showed significant improvement in clinical parameters from baseline to 21 days. In the control group, reductions of 15.70% in probing pocket depth, 34.98% in gingival index, and 38.25% in plaque index were observed. The test group demonstrated greater improvements, with reductions of 30.29% in probing pocket depth, 52.68% in gingival index, and 54.37% in plaque index. Intergroup comparison indicated that the adjunctive use of green tea extract gel produced better clinical outcomes than SRP alone.

Conclusion:

The findings of the present study suggest that locally delivered green tea extract gel can effectively enhance the outcomes of conventional periodontal therapy. Its use as an adjunct to scaling and root planning resulted in significant improvement in periodontal clinical parameters, indicating its potential   as a herbal local drug delivery agent in the management of chronic periodontitis.