Effects of omega-3 supplementation as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy on periodontal parameters in periodontitis patients: a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy in patients with periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 30 patients with periodontitis. All patients received standard non-surgical periodontal therapy, and were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control by a table of random numbers (n = 15). The intervention group consumed 1000 mg natural fish oil soft-gels daily (300 mg Omega-3 marine triglycerides, 180 mg Eicosapentaenoic acid and 120 mg Docosahexaenoic acid) while the control group used soft-gels contained only some soybean oil for 3 months. Clinical attachment loss (CAL), probing depth (PD), and bleeding index (BI) were recorded at baseline (before the intervention) and after 3 months. The two groups were compared regarding the clinical parameters by t-test (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS: All three clinical parameters decreased in both groups at 3 months compared with baseline (P = 0.001). The improvement in PD and CAL in the intervention group was significantly greater than that in the control group (P = 0.001); however, the difference in BI was not significant between the two groups (P = 0.283). CONCLUSION: Omega-3 supplementation as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal therapy significantly improved the clinical parameters in periodontitis patients compared to soybean oil supplements.