TOPICAL OZONE THERAPY. OZONATED OLIVE OIL AND SALIVARY MMP-8: A CLINICAL STUDY

Aim: extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a key role in the periodontal tissue damage in patients with periodontitis. Scaling and root planning (SRP) try to control the amount of oral biofilm and to decrease the bacterial load. Non-surgical periodontal treatment can be combined with drug treatment and physiotherapeutic procedures such as topical ozone. The aim of this study was to assess in a group of patients diagnosed with periodontitis: (1) the efficacy of non-surgical periodontal treatment supported using ozonated olive oil mouthwash on salivary metalloproteinase (MMP-8) and (2) the variation of periodontal indices. Methods: ninety-six subjects with diagnosed periodontitis were included in the study and randomly allocated to the study group (SRP + mouthwash) or the control group (SRP). The duration of the study was 3 months. Data on MMP-8, plaque index (PI), bleeding on probing (BoP) were recorded at T0, T1 (14 days), T2 (1 month) and T3 (6 months). Differences between groups were assessed using Student’s t-test for independent samples. Results: significant improvements in PI, BoP, and salivary MMP-8 levels were observed in both groups. Analysis of the differences in the relative changes in the indices showed the effectiveness of ozonated olive oil in reducing MMP-8 levels. At the same time, ozonated olive oil slowed down the level of MMP-8 also with a decrease in the BoP index. Conclusions: scaling and root plating with the help of mouthwash with ozonated olive oil were more effective in reducing salivary MMP-8 than scaling and root plating alone.