Effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on the treatment of severe cases of periodontitis.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO2) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of severe cases of chronic periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 20 patients diagnosed with severe generalized chronic periodontitis (pockets>7mm) with bleeding on probing, SRP was rendered in all pockets. Additionally, five consecutive hyperbaric sessions were administered in 10 patients after random allocation (SRP + HBO2). Clinical parameters were assessed at baseline up to six months: plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical attachment level and benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA) test. RESULTS SRP + HBO2 resulted in greater probing reduction and attachment gain than SRP alone three months after treatment (p<0.001). The BANA test was negative after one week only for sites in the SRP + HBO2 group (p<0.05). However, SRP + HBO2 failed to show a significant difference from SRP group after 3 months, where all BANA sites became negative (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Our data suggest that hyperbaric oxygen therapy had a short-term beneficial effect on pocket reduction and bacterial elimination, and may be considered a potential adjunct therapeutic option to improve the clinical outcomes of scaling in severe cases of chronic periodontitis.