A new era of Nano!!! Comparative evaluation of ganglioside polymeric nanoparticle coated satranidazole gel and 1% metronidazole gel for the treatment of periodontitis

BACKGROUND: The present study was intended to comparatively assess the efficacy of ganglioside polymeric nanoparticle-coated 0.25% satranidazole-loaded nanoparticles in gel form with that of the commercially available 1% metronidazole gel as a local drug delivery (LDD) agent for the treatment of periodontal pockets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A split-mouth randomized clinical trial was carried out in 46 chronic periodontitis patients with probing pocket depth (PPD) ≥4 mm or clinical attachment loss greater than 3 mm on both quadrants of the same arch. Full-mouth scaling and root planing (SRP) was performed for all the patients followed by application of 0.25% satranidazole-loaded nanoparticles in gel form on one site (Group 1) and commercially available 1% metronidazole gel on another site (Group 2). Clinical parameters (gingival index, plaque index, PPD, clinical attachment level gain, and bleeding on probing) and microbiological analysis of the subgingival plaque samples were performed and assessed at baseline, after SRP, 21(st) day, and 90(th) day post treatment. Unpaired “t”-test and ANOVA tests were used for intergroup and intragroup comparison of recorded parameters. RESULTS: The results showed that the satranidazole-loaded nanoparticle group as an adjunct to SRP in chronic periodontitis showed a statistically significant improvement in all the clinical parameters and a fewer relapse of microbial flora in comparison with the metronidazole group as an LDD agent. CONCLUSION: The present study depicted that both the LDD agents showed an effective improvement of clinical as well as microbiological parameters, but the satranidazole group consistently produced better results than the metronidazole group and hence has a promising future as an LDD agent in treating periodontal pockets.