Therapeutic Manuka Honey as an Adjunct to Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy: A 12-Month Follow-Up, Split-Mouth Pilot Study

Abstract

Periodontitis is recognized as one of the most common diseases worldwide. Non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) is the initial approach in periodontal treatment. Recently, interest has shifted to various adjunctive treatments to which the bacteria cannot develop resistance, including Manuka honey. This study was designed as a split-mouth clinical trial and included 15 participants with stage III periodontitis. The participants were subjected to non-surgical full-mouth therapy, followed by applying Manuka honey to two quadrants. The benefit of adjunctive use of Manuka honey was assessed at the recall appointment after 3, 6, and 12 months, when periodontal probing depth (PPD), split-mouth plaque score (FMPS), split-mouth bleeding score (FMBS), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were reassessed. Statistically significant differences between NSPT + Manuka and NSPT alone were found in PPD improvement for all follow-up time points and CAL improvement after 3 and 6 months. These statistically significant improvements due to the adjunctive use of Manuka amounted to (mm): 0.21, 0.30, and 0.19 for delta CAL and 0.18, 0.28, and 0.16 for delta PPD values measured after 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. No significant improvements in FMPS and FMBS were observed. This pilot study demonstrated the promising potential of Manuka honey for use as an adjunct therapy to nonsurgical treatment.