Original Research Articles
Vol. 33 No. 1 (2026)
Role of photodynamic therapy and probiotics for the treatment of periodontal disease in diabetic patients: a preliminary clinical trial
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Published: 26 June 2026
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The aim of this preliminary in vivo clinical trial was to compare the effectiveness of conventional periodontal treatment with that of PhotoDinamic Therapy (PDT) and probiotic (PB) supplementation in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thirty-six diabetic patients complicated with periodontal disease were randomly divided into three groups: control group, PDT group, and PB group. Regular re-examinations were carried out on days 30, 60, and 90 after treatment. The contents of the re-examination included bleeding, periodontal pocket depth, and tooth mobility. Venous blood samples were collected on days 0, 30, and 90 of the research process. The assessed key indicators included glycated hemoglobin, glycated albumin, which accurately reflects blood glucose fluctuations over the previous 2-3 weeks, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, to gain insights into the body’s potential inflammatory status. Sulcus bleeding index and probing depth of the periodontal pocket in the PDT and PB groups were lower than those in the control group, with a small difference between the two groups. Moreover, while the conventional periodontal treatment caused a decreasing of the three blood markers, the addition of PDT and PB did not influence these key indicators. This study suggests that integrated treatment, combining the conventional approach with PDT and PB, improves periodontal health, although it does not appear to affect glycemic control.
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Ethics Approval
This study received ethical approval with trial registration number: SEY-KYLL-2023026 and date of registration: 2023.12.7.CRediT authorship contribution
Meng Zhao, Carlo Fornaini: conceptualization, methodology; Huichao Wang, Yang Yang: data curation, formal analysis; Zhe Zhao, Zengyi Zhao: supervision, validation; Carlo Fornaini: writing - original draft, writing - review and editing. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Data Availability Statement
No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
How to Cite
Role of photodynamic therapy and probiotics for the treatment of periodontal disease in diabetic patients: a preliminary clinical trial. (2026). Laser Therapy, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/ltj.2026.437
Copyright (c) 2026 the Author(s)
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