ReviewThe Saudi dental journal2025
Locally delivered 1% metformin gel improves periodontal parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in The Saudi dental journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of anti-diabetic medications on the teeth, oral soft and hard tissues, saliva, and implants: a scoping review.BDJ open · 2026Review
- GLP-1 receptor agonists: Bridging diabetes, obesity, and periodontitis-A scoping review of emerging evidence.Journal of periodontology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
15 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeApproximately 19% of the global adult population is affected by periodontal diseases. Healing is a protracted process that is significantly influenced by the patient's motivation, proficiency, and cooperation. The prevalence of periodontal diseases in patients with diabetes mellitus is extremely high, and the relationship is bidirectional. In previous investigations, metformin (MF), a biguanide antidiabetic medicine, has demonstrated promising results when administered locally to periodontal defects. The study aimed to systematically assess available literature that evaluate the effectiveness of 1% metformin gel in the treatment of periodontal disease. We attempted to include clinical trials on patients with periodontitis treated with local administration of 1% metformin gel, compared to a placebo.
methodsUsing identical MeSH terms, we conducted a systematic search in three databases. Our analysis encompassed human studies that measured the periodontal pocket depth, the clinical attachment level, and the depth of the intra-bony defect. Meta-analyses were carried out using random effects model to compare the mean differences between the study group, which received 1% MF gel locally in addition to traditional scaling and root planing (SRP), and the control group, which received a placebo in addition to conventional treatment.
resultsFollowing the selection procedure, six articles were selected for inclusion in our meta-analysis, out of the 246 articles identified through the systematic search. After three and six months of follow-up, meta-analyses revealed statistically significant differences between the control and study groups. The overall effect for PD was a 1.33 mm reduction (95% confidence interval (CI): -1.66; -1.01) after three months and 1.87 mm (-2.24; -1.39) after six months. The overall effect of CAL was 1.80 mm (-2.26; -1.34) after three months and 2.14 mm (-2.71; -1.58) after six months. The change in IBD after a six-month follow-up was 1.16 mm (-1.40; -0.92).
conclusionThe application of 1% MF gel enhances the healing process in periodontal diseases, when employed in conjunction with conventional therapy.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.