The Impact of Omega-3 Supplements on Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy: A Systematic Review.

AIM: This systematic review examined the additional effect of taking omega-3 supplements on periodontal therapy. METHODS: The focused question was "What is the possible effect of omega-3 supplementation concomitant to non-surgical periodontal therapy on clinical periodontal parameters?" Databases Cochrane, Embase, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science (January-July 2021) were searched to identify appropriate studies. Randomized clinical trials (RCT) about non-surgical therapy with omega-3 supplementation, with at least 3 months of supplementation period were included. Cochrane risk of bias tool version 2 and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation were used. RESULTS: A total of 1556 studies were found, of which eight studies met the inclusion criteria. All eight studies evaluated periodontal probing depth and clinical attachment loss; plaque and gingival inflammation were evaluated in seven studies. High variety of omega-3 dosage, different study lengths, questionable results from periodontal therapy (including test and control groups), high risk of bias and moderate quality of evidence prevented a satisfactory conclusion regarding the benefits of omega-3 supplementation. The studies' high heterogeneity avoided meta-analysis. CONCLUSION: Notwithstanding all limitations, the promising effects of omega-3 supplementation presented in two six-month studies encourage performing RCT with better-defined treatment protocols and greater methodological rigor.

Effect of gingivitis treatment on the breath of chronic periodontitis patients.

PURPOSE: The present study assessed halitosis after treatment of gingivitis by using different diagnostic modalities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 27 patients (47 ± 7 years old; 14 women, 13 men) diagnosed with chronic periodontitis underwent supragingival mechanical debridement (day 0). Measurement of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), visual analogue scale (VAS) and organoleptic assessment, visible plaque index (VPI) and gingival bleeding index (GBI) were obtained at baseline (prior to treatment of gingivitis) and then after 30, 90, and 180 days. The Friedman test was used to compare outcome data at days 0, 30, 90, and 180. Post-hoc comparison (tongue cleaning and non-cleaning) was performed using the Student t test for VSC and VAS and the Mann-Whitney test for organoleptic measurements. The level of significance was set at 5%. RESULTS: VSC and VAS means (days 0 and 180) were, respectively, 463.41 ppb (± 496.12 ppb) and 245.96 ppb (± 301.51 ppb) and 6.28 cm (± 2.23 cm) and 5.03 cm (± 2.01 cm). The frequency of high organoleptic scores (3 to 5) declined from 96.29% (day 0) to 81.48% (day 30), with a reduction of around 50% at day 180. Post-hoc comparison did not reveal any significant differences between the indicators analysed. CONCLUSION: Supragingival plaque control reduced halitosis in patients with periodontitis, but tongue cleaning vs no tongue cleaning did not yield different results.