Background: Nano-biomaterials have transformed traditional medicine and are now considered an essential part of modern medicine. The present systemic review aimed to highlight the scope of silver nanoparticles in periodontal and peri-implant wound healing with special emphasis on its antibacterial effects in the management of periodontal and peri-implant infection in in vitro and in vivo animal studies.
Methods: A computer search of electronic databases, mainly PubMed, was conducted with a combination of keywords. The investigation was limited to studies discussing the effects of silver or silver nanoparticles in periodontal regeneration and periodontal/peri-implant healing and/or disease.
Results: The search resulted in 1566 articles of potential interest. Twenty-one articles were included in the systematic review for analy- sis. Although with considerable methodological limitations, the in vitro and in vivo animal studies noted high antibacterial properties of silver nanoparticles without any toxic effects on the cellular structure. In vitro and in vivo small-animal studies have demonstrated the safety and antimicrobial efficacy of AgNPs in periodontal and peri-implant wound healing. However, the therapeutic potential of AgNPs in clinical situations has not been explored.
Conclusion: There is a need to establish animal models that are closer in soft and hard tissue response to humans to verify the safety and efficacy of silver nanoparticles. Owing to the potential risk of antimicrobial resistance with the contemporary antibiotics, unconventional therapeutic regiments, like silver nanoparticles, that are safe and have high antimicrobial efficacy should be tried as an adjunct in the management of periodontal and peri-implant therapy.
Cite this article as: Siddiqi A, Zafar S. Scope of silver nanoparticles in periodontal and peri-implant wound healing: A systematic review of translation research. Essent Dent. 2023;2(2):55-65.