Find in Library

Background: Extracts of medicinal plant like lemongrass offer a new choice for optional antimicrobial therapy against various oral microorganisms. The objective of this study was to assess, verify, and compare the antimicrobial effectiveness of locally administered 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline hyclate gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in treating chronic periodontitis. Method: This is a double-blind parallel arm randomized controlled study. Forty subjects were randomly divided into Group A and B for 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline hyclate gel, respectively. The clinical assessments of Gingival Index (GI), Plaque Index (PI), Probing Pocket Depth (PPD), and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) together with microbial colony counts for <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i>, <i>Actinomyces naeslundii,</i> and <i>Prevotella intermedia</i> were done at baseline, 1st month, and 3rd month follow-ups. Results: The results showed there was a significant reduction in the mean scores of GI, PPD, and CAL clinical indices from baseline to the 1st and 3rd month follow-ups in both the 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline gel groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Similarly, there was significant reduction in mean CFU scores for all periodontal pathogens from baseline to 1st and 3rd month follow-ups in both the 2% lemongrass gel and 10% doxycycline gel groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Conclusions: It could be concluded that the local delivery of 2% lemongrass gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing is effective and comparable to 10% doxycycline gel in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.