Photosensitizer in periodontal antimicrobial photodynamic therapy: A literature review

Periodontal disease induced by dental plaque is one of the most common diseases found in the field of dentistry and it is triggered mainly by periodontopathic bacteria. The primary treatment plan for periodontitis is mechanical debridement then followed by adjunctive therapy. Photodynamic therapy is a one of therapeutic option as it is a non-invasive approach involving the site where there is an increased number of pathogen and specificity of the site. Carrying out a photodynamic therapy specifically for a choice of treatment of periodontal diseases is considered as a promising method to eliminate pathogenic bacteria in periodontitis. Photodynamic therapy is a procedure causing localized photo damage and cell death. The procedure uses photosensitizer that is activated by the exposure of specific wavelength light to produce reactive oxygen species which is known to be toxic. There are plenty of synthetic and natural photoactive source which is known to have photosensitizing potential. And now, in order to avoid incomplete penetration of photosensitizer, nanoparticle based antimicrobial photodynamic therapy is introduced for improving pharmacological characteristics.