Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effects of non-surgical and supportive periodontal treatment on cyclosporin A-induced (CsA) gingival overgrowth (GO) in a group of transplant patients.
Methods: Thirty patients received etiological periodontal treatment and were placed in a -two-monthly recall program for 12 months. Plaque index, bleeding index, probing depth, degree of GO using the Seymour index (hypertrophy index, HI) and distance between the mucogingival junction and the base and the apex of each interdental papilla were recorded at baseline and repeated 12 months after treatment.
Results: At baseline, 22 patients had HI values >30% and were considered as ''responders''. A total of 376 gingival units (72.31%) in the anterior segments and 376 (54.97%) in the posterior ones presented GO with a mean HI value of 2.22 +/- 1.95 and 1.24 +/- 1.57, respectively. The etiological treatment resulted in a statistically significant improvement of all parameters assessed (P<0.0001). All patients had a decrease in the number of affected sites (mean HI values of 0.42 +/- 0.77 and 0.39 +/- 0.85 in the anterior and posterior segments) and none had HI values >30% and any gingival unit with score of 5 at the end of the observation period.
Conclusions: Detailed instructions and intense motivation to oral home hygiene measures, inserted in an etiological treatment and a two-monthly maintenance therapy, appear to be effective in controlling the GO and in maintaining clinical improvements for prolonged time period.