title: Is furcation involvement affected by adjunctive systemic amoxicillin plus metronidazole? A clinical trials exploratory subanalysis.
abstract: Evaluation of the clinical effect of systemic amoxicillin and metronidazole adjunctively to mechanical debridement at furcation sites.
  
  
  
  This is an exploratory per-protocol collective subanalysis from a prospective, randomized, double-blind, multi-centre trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00707369) on the effect of adjunctive systemic amoxicillin 500 mg plus metronidazole 400 mg (3×/day, 7 days) use on furcation involvement in moderate to severe periodontitis. Outcome was the change in frequency of classes of furcation involvement after 27.5 months. Therapy comprised mechanical debridement in conjunction with antibiotic or placebo administration, and maintenance therapy at three months intervals.
  
  
  
  Three hundred and forty-five patients (175 placebo, 170 antibiotics) with 6576 furcation sites (class 0 2956; class I 2370; class II 886; class III 364) were examined (3472 placebo, 3104 antibiotics). Pocket reduction/attachment gain at the furcation sites was noticeably better after antibiotics (1.2/0.6 mm) than after placebo (0.7/0.2 mm) 27.5 months after therapy. However, most furcation degrees were unchanged (placebo 61.5%/antibiotics 62.2%), more sites improved than deteriorated (20.3%/18.2%, 22.1%/15.7% respectively) and no differences in the change of furcation degrees between treatments could be detected.
  
  
  
  Compared to placebo, prescription of adjunctive systemic antibiotics failed to show clinically relevant benefit with regard to furcation class involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany. eickholz@med.uni-frankfurt.de.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eickholz
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nickles
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Harks
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Section of Periodontology, Department of Conservative Dentistry, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ti-Sun
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Unit of Periodontology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kocher
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meyle
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany.|Department of Periodontology and Synoptic Dentistry, Charité Centrum 3, Charité-Universitäsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Doğan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kaner
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schlagenhauf
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doering
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gravemeier
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2418-6765
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ehmke
mesh_terms: D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D012534:Dental Scaling; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss; D010514:Periodontal Pocket; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008795:Metronidazole; D000658:Amoxicillin
keywords: amoxicillin and metronidazole; furcation involvement; mechanical debridement; periodontitis; systemic antibiotics