Abstract

Background and Aim: Host modulatory therapy (HMT) is a new method that has been used as adjunctive therapy for periodontal diseases. Licorice tablet contains an extract with anti-inflammatory effects. Considering that most patients prefer to take herbal medications. we found it necessary to compare the effects of licorice tablet and doxycycline on chronic periodontitis.

Materials and Methods: In this interventional clinical trial study, 45 patients with mild to moderate chronic periodontitis were selected. Plaque Index (PI), Pocket Depth (PD), Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) and Bleeding on Probing (BOP) were recorded for all periodontal patients. Then scaling and root planning was done and patients were divided into three groups.

In the first group, a 20mg doxycycline capsule was given to each patient daily, the second group was given a 490mg licorice tablet per day and the third group was given a placebo capsule per day. After 6 weeks, all the above-mentioned parameters were recorded again for all patients. Chi-square, paired sample T and one-way ANOVA tests were used for data analysis.

Results: The mean of PD, CAL and BOP after treatment reduced significantly within the three groups (P <0.05). The mean difference of PD, CAL and BOP between the two groups of doxycycline and licorice was not significant (P =0.54, 0.74 and 0.64, respectively).

Conclusion: licorice decreases clinical periodontal indices of similar to doxycycline in chronic periodontitis.