The Role of Diet in Periodontal Inflammation: A Controlled Clinical Study

G. d'Annunzio University

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Periodontal Diseases; Periodontal Inflammation

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Vegan/vegetarian diet; Dietary Supplement: Omnivorous diet

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05864768

11012023

Details and patient eligibility

About

Diet can influence the body's healing and repair mechanisms. A dietary imbalance obviously cannot trigger periodontal disease in the absence of a primum movens, which is bacterial plaque. However, it can condition its severity and extent by altering the permeability of the oral mucosa, the effectiveness of the immune response and the reparative potential of the gingival tissues.

Nutraceuticals is the science that studies the effects of the so-called food-drug, i.e. those foods that contain substances capable of performing a pharmacological function, modifying the functions of the organism. In particular, some molecules that are assimilated through various foods are able to penetrate the cell nucleus and influence, through an epigenetic mechanism, the expression or otherwise of some genes. The aim of our controlled study is to understand whether a vegetarian/vegan diet can be considered as protective for periodontal health compared to an omnivorous diet. For this purpose, we used a test group of 22 omnivorous subjects and a control group of 22 vegetarian/vegan patients in which experimental gingivitis was induced.

Enrollment: 44 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Optimal systemic health conditions
• Non-Smoking
• Absence of cardio-vascular pathologies
• Absence of pulmonary pathologies
• Non-diabetic
• Not pregnant
• FMPS <20%
• FMBS <20%
• Omnivorous or vegan/vegetarian diet for at least a year
• Absence of periodontitis

Exclusion criteria

• Smokers
• Presence of systemic pathologies
• Presence of cardio-vascular disease
• Presence of periodontitis
• FMPS>20%
• FMBS>20%
• Pregnant women
• Presence of blood pathologies
• Taking medicines (hydantoins, nifedipine or cyclosporine)
• Taking oral contraceptives
• Bacterial, viral or fungal infections
• Idiopathic gingival fibromatosis
• Mucocutaneous disorders
• Allergic reactions to toothpastes and mouthwashes

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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44 participants in 2 patient groups

Patients with a vegan/vegetarian diet

Experimental group

Description:

After excluding patients with clinical signs of periodontitis, the patients recruited at baseline underwent prophylaxis and home oral hygiene instructions were given with brushing and flossing in order to reduce the parameters of inflammation and the presence of plaque (FMPS and FMBS). The use of antiseptics (chlorhexidine mouthwash 0.20%) was prescribed twice a day for 15 days. After 15 days from baseline (T0) all patients were recorded the parameters of FMPS, FMBS, PPD and Eastman Interdental Bleeding Index (EIBI) and were asked to stop using dental floss and mouthwash. All patients were recalled weekly 4 times after T0 (T1, T2, T3, T4) in order to monitor the parameters of inflammation and plaque accumulation by recording FMBS, FMPS and EIBI.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Vegan/vegetarian diet

Patients with an omnivorous diet

Active Comparator group

Description:

After excluding patients with clinical signs of periodontitis, the patients recruited at baseline underwent prophylaxis and home oral hygiene instructions were given with brushing and flossing in order to reduce the parameters of inflammation and the presence of plaque (FMPS and FMBS). The use of antiseptics (chlorhexidine mouthwash 0.20%) was prescribed twice a day for 15 days. After 15 days from baseline (T0) all patients were recorded the parameters of FMPS, FMBS, PPD and Eastman Interdental Bleeding Index (EIBI) and were asked to stop using dental floss and mouthwash. All patients were recalled weekly 4 times after T0 (T1, T2, T3, T4) in order to monitor the parameters of inflammation and plaque accumulation by recording FMBS, FMPS and EIBI.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Omnivorous diet