Evaluation of gingival and periodontal conditions following causal periodontal treatment in patients treated with nifedipine and diltiazam
The aim of this study was to see how patients taking nifedipine and diltiazam respond to causal periodontal treatment, in relation to patients who were cardiologically healthy and a group who had ischemic cardiac cardiopathy but who did not take calcium channel blocking drugs. The 55 patients were grouped as follows: 12 medically healthy subjects (control) with moderate periodontitis and who had no history of drug-inducing gingival hyperplasia; 12 cardiopathy patients who were grouped in the "non-calcium antagonist medicated group"; 13 in the diltiazam group, patients taking the medicine for the past six months; and 18 in the nifedipine group. In the study, gingival size was measured by assessing plaster models of the patients. The clinical attachment level and probing pocket level were measured by acrylic onlay stent for reproducibility and plaque index with bleeding on probing.
The results indicated that patients taking diltiazam and nifedipine have larger gum size and respond poorly to causal periodontal treatment compared with healthy patients. [A.S.]
Bullon, P., G. Machuca, A. Martinez-Sahuquillo, J.V. Rios, E. Velasco, J. Rojas, and J.R. Lacalle, J Clin Periodont, 23:649,1996