Clinical and Immunological Efficacy of an Eucalyptus Leaf Preparation in Chronic Periodontitis Treatment: A Randomized Interventional Longitudinal Clinical Study

Background. The prevalence of inflammatory-destructive periodontal diseases remains to be a global problem. Long-term topical application of chlorhexidine bigluconate and metronidazole is known to involve various side effects, thereby requiring widening the spectrum of herbal preparations used for treating chronic periodontitis.

Aim. To evaluate the efficacy of Chlorophyllipt in the treatment of chronic generalized periodontitis by studying cytokine concentration dynamics in the gingival fluid.

Methods. A randomized controlled clinical study of outcomes achieved in 50 patients with chronic generalized periodontitis treated in Dental Polyclinic No. 3, Krasnodar Кrai, was carried out. The control group included 20 clinically healthy people. Patients diagnosed with chronic generalized periodontitis were divided into the main (n = 25) and comparison (n = 25) groups. The main group received basic therapy and conventional conservative treatment with the addition of Chlorophyllipt. The comparison group received basic therapy and conventional conservative treatment. The therapy efficacy was estimated based on clinical indicators and IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-8, and TNF-α cytokine levels in the gingival fluid before treatment and after 14 days, three days, and six months of treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS version 15 software (USA).

Results. All clinical parameters improved significantly in both chronic periodontitis groups after 14 days, three days, and six months of treatment in comparison with their levels before treatment (p < 0.001). At the same time, the conventional conservative treatment with the addition of Chlorophyllipt reduced inflammatory processes in periodontal tissues and gum bleeding at earlier stages. In the main group IL-1β, cytokine levels after 14 days of treatment were 19% lower than in the comparison group (p = 0.025), while IL-1Ra cytokine levels were 52% higher (p = 0.023). Six months after treatment, IL-1β and TNF-α cytokine levels were 14% and 32% lower than in the control group, respectively (p2 = 0.021 and p2 = 0.008), while IL-1Ra cytokine levels were 39% higher (p =0.019). All these results were statistically significant.

Conclusion. Due to the established clinical and immunological efficacy, Chlorophyllipt can be included in the conventional conservative therapy of chronic generalized periodontitis. The determined levels of IL-1β, IL-1Ra, and TNF-α cytokines in chronic periodontitis patients can be used when assessing the response of periodontal tissues towards therapeutic interventions.