Periodontitis is gum disease that destroys the bone supporting your teeth. It affects nearly half of U.S. adults over 30 and is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Treatment typically involves deep cleaning, antibiotics, and sometimes surgery to reshape gum tissue.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that block bone destruction, biologics that target inflammation pathways, probiotics to restore healthy mouth bacteria, and laser treatments that may heal damaged tissue. Researchers are also studying links between periodontitis and heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.
Bone-protective drugs
Drugs that block proteins causing bone breakdown may prevent tooth loss when added to standard cleaning. Some trials are testing pills taken by mouth, others test gels applied directly to gums.
Microbiome therapies
Probiotics and other treatments aim to replace harmful bacteria with healthy strains. Early studies suggest this may reduce inflammation and gum bleeding better than antibiotics alone.
Regenerative treatments
Growth factors and tissue-engineering approaches aim to regrow lost gum and bone. Several are testing whether adding these to surgery improves healing and attachment.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on the severity of bone loss, number of affected teeth, whether you smoke, and conditions like diabetes that affect healing.
What types of trials are currently open
- Drug trials — Testing medications that reduce inflammation or protect bone, either as pills, mouth rinses, or gels applied to gums.
- Probiotic trials — Testing beneficial bacteria to restore a healthy balance in the mouth and reduce gum inflammation.
- Surgical trials — Comparing different surgical techniques or adding growth factors to help regrow gum tissue and bone.
- Device trials — Testing lasers, photodynamic therapy, and other tools that may kill bacteria or stimulate healing.
- Lifestyle studies — Following people to see how diet, smoking, diabetes control, and oral hygiene habits affect gum disease progression.
Recently added Periodontitis trials
Accuracy and Healing Outcomes of Endodontic Surgery Using a Static Surgical Guide.
The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the surgical accuracy and healing outcomes of endodontic surgery performed with the assistance of a 3D-printed static surgical guide in patients requiring apicoectomy. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. What is the level of positional and angular accuracy of the actual root-end resection compared to the virtual planning when utilizing a static surgical guide? 2. What are the postoperative pain and swelling levels reported by patients at 1, 3, and 7 days after undergoing guided endodontic surgery? 3. What are the clinical success rates and CBCT-based radiographic healing outcomes at 6 months postoperatively? Participants will: * Undergo a preoperative digital workflow combining CBCT data and intraoral surface scans to design a customized static surgical guide. * Undergo targeted endodontic surgery where a 4.5-mm trephine bur is guided through the static template to perform the osteotomy and a 3-mm root-end resection in a single step. * Receive retrograde root-end cavity preparation via ultrasonic tips and root-end filling using calcium aluminosilicate bioceramic paste (Well-Root PT). * Complete self-evaluation forms regarding pain and swelling on postoperative days 1, 3, and 7. * Return for follow-up examinations at 1 week (for suture removal) and at 6 months for definitive clinical evaluations, as well as follow-up multi-planar CBCT imaging to evaluate both periapical bone healing and surgical accuracy via superimposition with the baseline preoperative plan.
Adjunctive Subgingival Pomegranate Peel Extract Gel for Stage II-III Periodontitis
This randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled split-mouth clinical trial aims to evaluate the clinical and biochemical efficacy of subgingival pomegranate peel extract gel as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in the treatment of Stage II-III periodontitis. Thirty-two participants diagnosed with Stage II-III periodontitis will receive SRP in all selected periodontal sites. Test sites will receive locally delivered pomegranate peel extract gel, while contralateral control sites will receive a placebo gel. Clinical periodontal parameters, including probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and gingival crevicular fluid levels of matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8), will be assessed at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months to evaluate whether adjunctive pomegranate peel extract gel improves periodontal healing compared with SRP alone.
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