COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF SALIVARY ENDOTHELIN-1 LEVELS PERIODONTITIS SUBJECTS FOLLOWING NON-SURGICAL PERIODONTAL THERAPY (NSPT) WITH ADJUNCTIVE PHOTOBIOMODULATION AND NSPT ALONE: A PROSPECTIVE INTERVENTIONAL STUDY

Background: Non-surgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) effectively reduces microbial load and inflammation in
Periodontitis; however, adjunctive therapies such as photobiomodulation (PBM) have been proposed to enhance
outcomes. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), an inflammatory biomarker, has been associated with periodontal disease
progression, yet its levels in saliva remain under-investigated, thus we aimed to comparatively assess salivary ET1 levels in periodontitis patients undergoing NSPT alone versus NSPT combined with photobiomodulation.
Material and methods: This prospective, randomized, single-blinded study involved 96 subjects divided equally
into three groups: healthy controls, generalized periodontitis treated with NSPT alone, and periodontitis treated
with NSPT and photobiomodulation. Clinical periodontal parameters and levels of salivary ET-1 were recorded at
baseline and on the 21st day.
Results: Results demonstrated significantly elevated levels of ET-1 in periodontitis patients in comparison to
healthy individuals (p=0.002). Both treatment modalities showed improvements in clinical parameters; however,
NSPT combined with photobiomodulation significantly reduced ET-1 levels (p=0.048) and improved periodontal
outcomes.
Conclusion: Adjunctive photobiomodulation enhances the efficacy of NSPT, with salivary ET-1 proving to be
promising as a biomarker to monitor periodontal disease and therapeutic response.