IP International Journal of Periodontology and Implantology 2020;5(4):143–148 Content available at: https://www.ipinnovative.com/open-access-journals IP International Journal of Periodontology and Implantology Journal homepage: https://www.ipinnovative.com/journals/IJPI Review Article Role of ozone therapy in the management of periodontal diseases Shonali Vijayaraj 1 , Geetha Ari 1, *, Sathish Rajendran 1 , Jaideep Mahendra 1 , Lakshmi Priya K 1 , Ambalavanan Namasivayam 1 1 Dept. of Periodontology, Meenakshi Academy of Higher Education and Research (MAHER), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 13-10-2020 Accepted 25-11-2020 Available online 24-12-2020 Keywords: Periodontal disease Ozone Antimicrobial Immunostimulating ABSTRACT Periodontitis is a destructive inflammatory infection of the supporting structures of teeth which is triggered by explicit microorganisms, leading to progressive destruction of the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone, subsequently causing pocket formation, gingival recession or both. Ozone has been applied in medicine for more than a century now, although its clinical implications in dentistry have only been recently investigated. The results of ozone therapy in any form (gaseous, water or oil), in the management of dental diseases such as caries, periodontitis, and hypersensitivity, have been explored and studied with promising outstanding outcomes. The use of ozone as an adjunctive therapy characterizes a novel method in the treatment of chronic periodontal disease. Owing to the antimicrobial and immunostimulating effects of ozone therapy, it is well established in the treatment of gingival and periodontal diseases. This review article outlines the clinical applications of ozone therapy in periodontal diseases. © This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. 1. Introduction Conventional medicine or Allopathy is the first modality of treatment of every disease confronted till date, yet there are certain diseases which fail to respond effectively to these treatments. Thus, ‘Complementary therapy’ has been an adjunctive mode of treatment along with conventional medicine. Complementary therapy involves acupuncture, biofeedback, massage, herbal medicine, electromagnetic therapy, meditation, music therapy, aromatherapy and ozone therapy. 1 Ozone (O 3 ) therapy has shown encouraging results in the field of dentistry in relation to the management of carious lesions and biofilm disruption. The use of ozone therapy due to its antimicrobial properties in the treatment of periodontal diseases seemed to be a rational step due to its efficacious elimination of biofilm, simultaneously destroying the tenant microorganisms confronted in periodontal infections. The successful management of periodontal diseases using ozone * Corresponding author. E-mail address: drgeetha.perio@madch.edu.in (G. Ari). has portrayed its potential as a complete treatment for periodontal diseases. 2 Although ozone therapy has shown desirable prospects in certain diseases, its application is not completely risk free. The FDA recommends a maximum tolerable dose of ozone not exceeding 0.05 ppm. Hence, this review discusses the role of ozone therapy in the treatment of periodontal diseases. 1.1. Physical & chemical properties of ozone O 3 is a highly unstable trioxygen molecule with a ‘bent’ or ‘triangular’ configuration (Figure 1). The bond angle between the three oxygen atoms is 116.8 degrees, and the distance between the two terminal oxygen atoms is 1.278 Angstrom units (A o ). It is naturally present as a gas with a pale blue color and a pungent odor reminiscent of chlorine. 3 O 3 is thought to be one of the strongest oxidants known to human beings and is used in extremely low concentration. This oxidant property can degrade almost every organic or inorganic molecule it comes into contact with. It is believed to be a highly potent atmospheric pollutant formed from the https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijpi.2020.033 2581-9836/© 2020 Innovative Publication, All rights reserved. 143