The effects of melatonin supplementation in adjunct with non-surgical periodontal therapy on periodontal status, serum melatonin and inflammatory markers in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with chronic periodontitis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
PubMed 30328031 · doi:10.1007/s10787-018-0539-0
What was done
A double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated 50 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic periodontitis undergoing non-surgical periodontal therapy. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either oral melatonin (6 mg once daily, as 2 tablets) or placebo. Pre- and post-intervention evaluations assessed serum melatonin, TNF-α, IL-6, hs-CRP, clinical attachment loss (CAL), pocket depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), and plaque index.
What was found
Melatonin supplementation significantly increased mean serum melatonin levels compared with control. In the intervention group, IL-6 and hs-CRP levels were significantly reduced post-intervention (p = 0.008 and p = 0.017, respectively), and mean IL-6 changes were significantly lower than in controls (p = 0.04). PD and CAL significantly decreased within the intervention group (p < 0.001), with between-group differences in mean changes also favoring melatonin (p < 0.001 for both). Numerical baseline and endpoint values, confidence intervals, and specific results for TNF-α, BOP, and plaque index were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that oral melatonin may be a useful adjunctive anti-inflammatory therapy alongside standard non-surgical periodontal treatment for managing periodontitis in diabetic patients.
Limits
The sample size was small (n = 50), and the treatment duration/follow-up length was not stated in the abstract. Absolute baseline and post-treatment numerical values were omitted, as were the specific results for TNF-α, BOP, plaque index, and glycemic control parameters.
Cited by
- supports An 8-week randomized controlled trial in patients with diabetes and periodontitis found that 6 mg/day of melatonin supplementation decreased serum levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and hs-CRP.