CLINICAL EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF USING FIBERGLASS SPLINTING STRUCTURES IN THE TREATMENT OF PERIODONTITIS

Subject. The clinical efficacy of stabilizing mobile mandibular incisors in periodontitis using fiberglass splints. The relevance is driven by the lack of consensus on the optimal timing for splinting mobile teeth (early in treatment or after inflammation control) to improve the periodontal condition. Objectives. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of using fiberglass splints on the lower incisors in the treatment of periodontitis. Methodology. A randomized clinical trial involved 22 patients with generalized periodontitis who met the following criteria: involvement of ≥6 teeth with a periodontal pocket depth of ≥4 mm and the presence of ≥2 lower incisors with Grade II–III mobility. Patients with bruxism, occlusal anomalies, anterior implants, or recent periodontal therapy were excluded. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: 1 (n=9), where teeth 3.3–4.3 were splinted before the start of anti-inflammatory treatment, and 2 (n=13), where splinting was performed one month after therapy completion. Efficacy was assessed by changes in mean probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) from baseline over 6 months. Results. After 6 months, both groups exhibited a significant improvement in PPD and CAL (p<0.05). Group 1 demonstrated a tendency toward a more pronounced reduction in PPD and CAL in the 3.3–4.3 region compared to Group 2: PPD decreased by 0.91 mm vs. 0.27 mm, and CAL improved by 1.02 mm vs. 0.47 mm (difference not statistically significant, p=0.06). Conclusion. Early splinting with fiberglass structures in periodontitis offers better stabilization of mobile teeth and improved parameters compared to delayed splinting. However, incidents of splint detachment indicate the need for technique refinement and further research.