Effects of a nutritional supplement on periodontal status.

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Ascorbic Acid in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Among the recommendations for the maintenance of gingival and periodontal health, few have focused on the value of nutritional supplements.

Sixty-three patients were randomly divided into two groups of 32 and 31 subjects and given either a vitamin tablet containing seven active ingredients (experimental treatment) or a placebo tablet.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 32 subjects taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and parallel-group.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Ascorbic Acid and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Neither the subjects nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Ascorbic Acid, so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some subjects received a placebo instead of Ascorbic Acid, giving a reference point.

The Ascorbic Acid group and the comparison group ran side by side rather than switching.

What Was Measured

The clinical parameters assessed were the gingival index (GI), bleeding index (BI), periodontal pocket depth (PD), and attachment levels (AL), and were recorded at baseline and 60 days.

The subject headings attached to it are Analysis of Variance, Ascorbic Acid, Dietary Supplements, Echinacea, Folic Acid, Periodontal Attachment Loss and Periodontal Index.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Ascorbic Acid in 32 subjects.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 2001 (Compendium of continuing education in dentistry (Jamesburg, N.J. : 1995)), a journal based in United States.

More context: all human trials.