Background: Transient bacteremia frequently occur secondary to several periodontal procedures. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effects of irrigation with an essential oil containing antiseptic (EO) and oral administration of azithromycin (AZM) on bacteremia caused by scaling and root planing (SRP).
Methods: Thirty patients with chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned to three groups (control, EO, and AZM). The EO group received quadrant subgingival irrigation with EO, and mouthrinsing was continued at home for 1 week. Oral administration of AZM was started 3 days before SRP in the AZM group. No adjunctive treatment was performed before SRP in the control group. Peripheral blood and subgingival plaque were collected at baseline and after 1 week. The second blood sample was taken 6 minutes after the initiation of quadrant SRP. The blood samples were cultured and analyzed for bacteremia. Quantitative analysis of periodontopathic bacteria in the sulcus was performed using the polymerase chain reaction invader method.
Results: Bacteremia incidence rates were 90%, 70%, and 20% for the control, EO, and AZM groups, respectively. Significant reduction of the incidence of bacteremia was shown in the AZM group only (P <0.01). Subgingival bacterial counts significantly decreased in both the EO and AZM groups (P <0.01).
Conclusions: Quadrant SRP frequently induced bacteremia. Although AZM was effective in reducing bacteremia incidence, EO showed less effectiveness. J Periodontol 2010;81:1555-1563.