As if we needed any more reason to sing ozone’s praises, new research in International Immunopharmacology finds that ozone – like another tool we use, platelet rich fibrin (PRF) – may improve outcomes in implant surgery.
The study involved 60 healthy adults who had implants placed. Half served as a control group and had their surgical sites irrigated with a saline solution, while the others had their surgical sites treated with both ozonated water and ozone gas.
The researchers then evaluated the patients for post-op inflammation, pain, and tissue healing, as well as took note of any side effects. In fact, they took these measures several times after the surgery – at 24 hours, 48 hours, and 7 days.
At every point, those in the ozone group had less inflammation and pain, and greater wound healing, with no side effects, leading the authors to conclude that
Ozone therapy accelerated the tissue wound healing, minimized tissue inflammation and decreased pain.
This is similar to the conclusion of a study published last year in the Journal of Hard Tissue Biology, although this one was smaller, used only ozonated water for the intervention group, and evaluated patients at just 24 hours and 5 days. Again, those in the ozone group showed less inflammation and pain, and better wound healing post-surgery, at least during the first 24 hours.
The authors thus also concluded that ozone treatment
enhances soft tissue healing in the immediate postoperative period.
Not familiar with ozone? Here’s a good, quick primer on how it works, how it’s made, and some of the ways in which it can be administered in dental care:
While the hygienist in the above video is focused mainly on using ozone in treating gum disease, that’s just one of many ways we use it in our holistic, biological dental office. To learn more about how ozone helps us help our patients improve their oral and whole body health, explore our archives.