Topical Corticosteroid and Wound Healing After Periodontal Flap Surgery

November 7, 2026 updated by: Meral Uzunkaya, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University

Effect of Topical Corticosteroid Application on Early Wound Healing After Periodontal Flap Surgery: A Randomized Split-Mouth Clinical Trial

This randomized split-mouth clinical trial aims to evaluate the effect of topical corticosteroid application on postoperative wound healing and pain following periodontal flap surgery in patients with periodontitis. Forty participants requiring bilateral periodontal flap surgery in the maxilla will be included. In each participant, one surgical site will be randomly assigned to receive topical triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% after surgery, while the contralateral site will serve as the control and will receive periodontal flap surgery without topical corticosteroid application. Wound healing, postoperative pain, and periodontal probing depth will be evaluated during the follow-up period.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that may require periodontal flap surgery when adequate treatment outcomes cannot be achieved with non-surgical periodontal therapy alone. Postoperative pain and early wound healing are important factors affecting patient comfort and recovery following periodontal surgery. Topical corticosteroids have anti-inflammatory properties and are widely used for various inflammatory conditions of the oral mucosa; however, evidence regarding their use following periodontal flap surgery is limited.

This prospective, randomized, controlled, split-mouth clinical trial will evaluate the effect of a single topical application of triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% following periodontal flap surgery. Forty patients with periodontitis who require bilateral periodontal flap surgery in the maxilla will be enrolled.

Each participant will undergo periodontal flap surgery at two contralateral maxillary sites in separate surgical sessions. Using random allocation, one site will receive topical triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% following suturing, whereas the contralateral site will undergo the same surgical procedure without topical corticosteroid application and will serve as the control. Thus, each participant will serve as their own control.

Postoperative wound healing and pain will be evaluated during follow-up, together with changes in periodontal probing depth. The split-mouth design is intended to reduce the influence of interindividual variability when comparing the two treatment conditions.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Recruiting
        • Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Faculty of Dentistry
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 18 years or older Systemically healthy Diagnosed with periodontitis Requiring bilateral periodontal flap surgery in the maxilla Presence of comparable contralateral maxillary surgical sites suitable for a split-mouth design Willing and able to provide written informed consent For female participants, postmenopausal status

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Women of childbearing potential Pregnant or lactating women Current smokers Presence of systemic diseases or conditions that may affect periodontal wound healing Use of medications that may affect periodontal tissues or wound healing Inability or unwillingness to comply with the study procedures and scheduled follow-up visits

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Topical Triamcinolone

Participants will undergo open flap debridement (OFD) at the randomly assigned test site in the maxilla. Following completion of the surgical procedure and suturing, 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide will be applied topically to the surgical site as a single application. Each participant will also receive the control intervention at the contralateral maxillary site in a separate surgical session.
Drug: Triamcinolone Acetonide 0.1% Oral Paste

A single topical application of 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide will be administered to the randomly assigned experimental surgical site following completion of open flap debridement and suturing.

Other Names:
  • Kenacort-A Orabase
Procedure: Open Flap Debridement

Open flap debridement (OFD) will be performed at the periodontal surgical site. The surgical procedure will be performed at both the experimental and control sites in separate surgical sessions.
Active Comparator: Control

Participants will undergo open flap debridement (OFD) at the contralateral maxillary control site without topical corticosteroid application. Each participant will also receive the experimental intervention at the opposite maxillary site in a separate surgical session.
Procedure: Open Flap Debridement

Open flap debridement (OFD) will be performed at the periodontal surgical site. The surgical procedure will be performed at both the experimental and control sites in separate surgical sessions.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Early Wound Healing Index (EHI)
Time Frame: Postoperative days 7, 14, and 45 after each surgical procedure.

Postoperative wound healing will be assessed using the Early Wound Healing Index (EHI) at the surgical sites. The index evaluates early healing of the surgical wound based on clinical characteristics of the incision line.
Postoperative days 7, 14, and 45 after each surgical procedure.
Postoperative Pain Assessed by Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Postoperative days 7, 14, and 45 after each surgical procedure.

Postoperative pain will be assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Participants will rate their pain intensity on a 0-10 scale, where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents the worst imaginable pain. VAS scores will be compared between the topical triamcinolone and control surgical sites.
Postoperative days 7, 14, and 45 after each surgical procedure.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Periodontal Probing Depth (PPD)
Time Frame: Baseline and postoperative day 45 after each surgical procedure.

Periodontal probing depth (PPD) will be measured in millimeters using a periodontal probe. Changes in PPD will be evaluated by comparing baseline measurements with postoperative measurements at the surgical sites.
Baseline and postoperative day 45 after each surgical procedure.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 7, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 7, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • PFK-2026-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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