Clinical Evaluation of the Efficacy of Arthocare Forte, a Chondro-Protective and Anti-Arthritic Drug in the Management of Bacterial Plaque-Induced Chronic Periodontitis

BACKGROUND: Arthocare forte medication is made up of different constituents and the advantages offered by this disposition have not been explored in the management of chronic periodontitis. AIM: The aim was to assess the clinical response of bacterial plaque-induced generalized chronic periodontitis to arthocare medication, and the relationship of age and gender to the prevalence of chronic periodontal disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study was done at the Dental Surgery Clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. It was a Prospective randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect of arthocare treatment on 81/162 patients with teeth mobility over a period of 5 years. All the patients (162) underwent root planing, and 81/162 (50%) were treated with arthocare for comparative analysis. The variables recorded were patient's age, gender, and degree of tooth mobility, periodontal pocket, and bleeding from the pocket after treatment. Statistical analysis was done using EPI INFO 7. RESULTS: Majority of the patients were between 46 and 75 years in both control (n = 59/81, 72.8%) and experimental groups (n = 52/81, 64.2%). There were 86/162 (53.1%) males and 76/162 (46.9%) females, giving a male-to-female ratio of 1.1:1. Seventy-seven patients (95.1%) in the experimental group had total remission in comparison to 32/81 (39.5%) in control group which was statistically significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The arthocare administered to patients in the experimental group speeds up the regenerative capacity and stability of the periodontium when compared with the control. Multicentre clinical trials are recommended to validate the use of arthocare forte in the treatment of generalized chronic periodontitis.