Effect of hyaluronic acid gel on gingivitis

Evaluation of hyaluronan gel (Gengigel_) as a topical applicant in the treatment of gingivitis

Article specifications

This randomized, single-blinded study was published in 2011 in Journal of Investigative and Clinical Dentistry (IF 2011: 1.08) by Indian dentists. The aim of this study was to clinically and histopathologically evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of 0.2% hyaluronan gel alone and with mechanical therapy on gingivitis. 32 patients (aged 18–35 years), who had plaque-induced gingivitis, were divided into four quadrants were subjected to different treatments: scaling, scaling + topical hyaluronan gel, only topical hyaluronan gel, and topical + intrasulcular hyaluronan gel. The duration of the study was 3 + 3 (6) weeks. In the first 3-week trial, scaling was performed in one of the quadrants of the selected patients. In the second 3-week trial, the application of gel either alone or in combination was done. Clinical parameters were recorded at baseline, and on days 7, 14, and 21. Biopsies were taken from each quadrant, inflammatory infiltrates were graded, and the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region count was measured before and after treatment.

Results

A significant reduction was seen in clinical parameters, inflammatory infiltrates, and the argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region count within the groups. The effect of topical + intrasulcular gel was equivalent to scaling. Topical + intrasulcular hyaluronan gel application demonstrated a better reduction than topical hyaluronan gel alone. Hyaluronan gel is an effective topical agent for treating gingivitis, along with scaling and intrasulcular application. The argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region count can be used as a histopathological indicator in cases of non-responsive gingivitis to assess the severity of gingival inflammation.