Role Of Occlusal Adjustment As An Adjunct To Scaling And Root Planing In The Management Of Periodontitis

Background: The role of excessive occlusal forces in the progression of periodontal disease was explored for several years. If occlusal trauma has any relationship to the progression of periodontitis, then its elimination should improve clinical outcomes of periodontal disease. Occlusal adjustment is commonly recommended for patients with periodontitis and traumatic occlusion. However, the scientific evidence linking occlusal adjustment to the improvement of periodontal parameters is limited. Aim: This systematic review aims to analyse the available evidence for occlusal adjustment as an adjunct to conventional surgical or non-surgical periodontal treatment in the management of periodontitis. Materials And Methodology: A comprehensive search was done in electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane and hand search was made based on pre-determined eligibility criteria. Studies assessing the effectiveness of occlusal adjustment as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in the management of periodontitis were selected after through screening. Results: The selected 4 studies evaluated the influence of occlusal adjustment as an adjunct to periodontal therapy. All studies assessed the clinical parameters including probing depth, clinical attachment level and tooth mobility. Out of 4 studies, 2 studies showed significant improvement in all clinical parameters among the group where occlusal adjustment was done along with periodontal therapy. Whereas, 2 studies showed statistically insignificant differences between the groups with and without occlusal adjustment along with periodontal therapy. Conclusion: Available studies showed limited evidence to support the implementation of occlusal adjustment as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in the management of periodontitis. However, the results are inconclusive because of the heterogeneity of the studies.