Efficacy of electrical neuromuscular stimulation in the treatment of chronic periodontitis

PURPOSE: The purpose of the present randomized controlled clinical study was to evaluate the short-term outcomes of microcurrent electrical neuromuscular stimulation (MENS) as an adjunct method to nonsurgical periodontal therapy. METHODS: Twenty patients with moderate to severe chronic periodontitis were recruited into the study and randomly treated with either nonsurgical periodontal therapy followed by 5 MENS treatments with a microcurrent device or by nonsurgical periodontal therapy alone. Periodontal parameters were measured at baseline and 6 weeks following therapy, and included the plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and clinical attachment level (CAL). RESULTS: All measured values were reduced at the time of re-evaluation. The amount of inflammation was significantly reduced in both the test (P=0.002) and control group (P=0.015). The test group demonstrated a significant CAL gain at 6 weeks following therapy, including non-molar (P=0.009) and molar teeth (P=0.028). In comparison with the control group, the test group showed statistically significant differences in the CAL on both molar (P=0.027) and non-molar teeth (P=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the short-term results of the study indicate that MENS could be a suitable adjunctive method in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.