Flurbiprofen Versus Aloe Vera Gel in the Treatment of Chronic Periodontitis in Smoking Patients.

Efficiency of Flurbiprofen 2.5% in Comparison to 98% Aloe Vera Gel as an Adjunctive Therapy to Scaling and Root Planning in the Initial Treatment of Stage III Chronic Periodontitis in Smoking Patients

This study aims to evaluate clinically the efficacy of flurbiprofen gel in comparison to Aloe Vera gel as adjunctive to SRP in the reduction of periodontal pockets in patients with chronic periodontitis in smoking patients.

All patients will receive SRP prior to treatment.

• Group 1: one site will receive flurbiprofen while the contralateral site will receive a placebo
• Group 2: one site will receive aloe vera while the contralateral site will receive a placebo
• Group 3: one site will receive flurbiprofen while the contralateral site will receive aloe vera Researchers will compare the inter and intra-groups differences to check if there's a variation in the periodontal parameters measured.

Complete medical and dental histories as well as informed consent will be collected from eligible participants, and periodontal charting will be done for them.

Medical history and laboratory screening for all patients will be carried out at baseline. All participants will undergo scaling and root planning. The selected patients will be allocated into three groups with the help of a computerized randomizer (Randomizer.org) and sites will be assigned as control or test based on a coin flip method:

• Group 1 (G1): 20 patients who received treatment involving the application of flurbiprofen gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing. Specifically, on the test site of each patient, one milliliter of 2.5% flurbiprofen gel was applied, while on the contralateral side, placebo gel was administered as the control intervention.
• Group 2 (G2): 20 patients who received treatment involving the application of aloe Vera gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing. Specifically, on the test site of each patient, one milliliter of 98% aloe Vera was applied, while on the contralateral side, placebo gel was administered as the control intervention.
• Group 3 (G3): The intervention involved applying flurbiprofen gel on one site, while the contralateral side received an application of 98% aloe vera.

The clinical examiner will not be informed of the treatment groups' distribution.

Patients will be informed on self-performed plaque control measures. In the 4th week, 8th week, 12th week, 6 months week clinical examination will be performed to measure the periodontal pocket depth, gingival index, plaque index, clinical attachment level (CAL),and bleeding on probing.

Statistical analysis was done using SAS 9.4 Software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). Means and standard deviations (SD) were calculated for all continuous variables (periodontal parameters: CAL, PD, BOP, GI, PI) at the baseline, fourth week, eighth week, and twelfth week and 6 months. Repeated linear mixed-effects models (PROC MIXED in SAS) were used to examine the changes in all periodontal parameters over the five-time points within each group and between groups. An unstructured covariance matrix was used, residual plots were visually reviewed to check model fit, and extreme outliers were eliminated using the restricted likelihood distance. A Tukey-Kramer 8 correction was applied to all pairwise comparisons. One-way ANOVA was used to examine group differences in PD reduction and CAL. A p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Inclusion criteria: 60 patients were selected who had clinical periodontal loss and radiographic bone loss of stage III/grade C with no history of systemic disease. They had at least 2 periodontal sites with a pocket depth of six mm or greater, radiographic evidence of bone loss extending to the middle third of the root, and clinical attachment loss of five mm or more. Eligible subjects were categorized as current smokers if they consistently smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day for a minimum of 5 years. Additionally, individuals with no record of undergoing any periodontal treatment within the six months preceding the study were considered for inclusion.

Exclusion criteria: Patients with systemic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus or conditions that could potentially impair wound healing were excluded from participation. Additionally, individuals who were pregnant or lactating were not considered for inclusion in the study. Subjects who had been prescribed systemic antibiotics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within the three months preceding the study were also excluded. Furthermore, individuals with confirmed or suspected hypersensitivity to Flurbiprofen or aloe Vera, the focus of the investigation, were not included in the study population.