Marco Esposito: Light activated disinfection in the case of peri-implantitis

Treatment objective of a chronic disinfection is to reduce bacterial load under a critical threshold. In the case of peri-implant infections the measures to reduce bacterial contamination can comprise e.g. surgical or non-surgical debridement and implant surface decontamination, local and systemic antibiotics, antimicrobial treatment techniques, implant surface modification like smoothening and thread removal, prosthesis modification to improve hygiene and cleanability aspects, bony defect corrections, regenerative therapy etc. For a long term effect, effective plaque control is critical. Dr Esposito discusses the effect of adjunct therapy with antimicrobial techniques using the LAD (light activated disinfection), also known as PACT (photodynamic antimicrobial chemo therapy) or PDT (photodynamic therapy). LAD consists of a photosensitive dye which adheres to the micro-organisms. Illumination of the stained area with light leads to selective destruction of the microorganism cells by absorption of light energy of a certain wavelength. Presenting results of prospective in-vivo studies comparing traditional debridement and scaling treatment techniques with adjunct or alternative LAD therapy, Dr Esposito concludes, that there is no statistical difference between the two methods and that adjunctive LAD treatment was ineffective.