Clinical effects of periodontal therapy on the severity of cyclosporin A-induced gingival hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND

Gingival hyperplasia (GH) is a major side effect associated with cyclosporin A (CsA) therapy. The condition is further augmented due to the gingival inflammation. In this study, the effects of initial periodontal therapy and gingival curettage are analyzed in a group of patients with clinically significant (>30%) CsA-induced gingival hyperplasia.

METHODS

The test group of 15 patients received oral hygiene instructions, supra- and subgingival scaling, polishing, and gingival curettage only oral hygiene instructions were given to 16 control subjects. Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), calculus index (CI), periodontal probing depth (PD), and gingival hyperplasia were recorded at baseline and repeated 8 weeks after treatment. Current doses of immunosuppressive agents, serum concentrations of CsA, and duration of CsA therapy were recorded as the pharmacological parameters.

RESULTS

Statistical evaluation revealed that all clinical variables showed statistical decreases compared to baseline in the treated patients, while none of the parameters changed significantly in the control group. Initial GH scores of 53.63% in controls and 53.40% in the treated patients were 52.83% and 32.13% following treatment, respectively. A difference of 21.27% in the severity of treated GH was accompanied by a 0.56 decrease in GI scores in the test group.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to the initial observations, the results suggested that nearly 60% of the condition could be of fibrotic origin. Initial periodontal therapy and curettage resulted in the resolution of the inflammation in CsA-induced GH. Further investigation of the treated patients has shown that 7 out of 15 patients (47%) in the test group responded well and their GH scores decreased below 30% at the end of the study. The treatment in this study was effective in eliminating the necessity of more extensive surgical modes of treatment, such as gingivectomy, in 47% of cases.