Abstract

Periodontitis is a major oral health condition affecting populations worldwide. While the microbial colonization remains an unequivocal etiology, modalities aiming to eliminate/reduce the microbial load form a part of mainstream treatment. This includes meticulous scaling and root planing and sometimes surgical procedures. Nevertheless, the need for anti-microbial therapy was advocated by many researchers that led to a quest to search for a suitable drug delivery system. Local drugs in the form of chips, fibers, gels, etc. have been used in periodontitis. However, these systems fall short of delivering the drug adequately due to limited accessibility and poor release. Electrospun nanofibers can carry drugs that can be used to control local sources of infection, as in periodontitis. These fibers exhibit a large surface area allowing them to carry large doses of drug. They can also withstand high masticatory forces due to their high tensile strength, eliminating the need for their periodic replacement that can ensure a better patient compliance. Various studies have been in place characterizing the morphological and biological characteristics of these fibers. This review aims to highlight the potential of drug loaded nanofibers produced by electro spinning, as a means of local drug delivery in periodontitis.