Impact of full-mouth disinfection on periodontal health: A narrative review

Full-mouth disinfection (FMD) is an intensive periodontal therapeutic procedure aimed at reducing microbial recolonization by treating all oral niches in one visit or within 24 hours. Compared to traditional SRP performed quadrantal, FMD provides clear advantages to improve outcomes such as probing depth, clinical attachment levels, and bleeding on probing at post-therapy, and lower microbial loads. The concept is beneficial in the management of systemic diseases such as diabetes mellitus and drug-induced gingival overgrowth, where periodontal status can have an impact on the management of systemic disease. Furthermore, FMD also increases patient compliance by decreasing treatment duration and procedural anxiety.While FMD has shown promising results, barriers to its implementation include a lack of standardized protocols, insufficient incorporation into clinical practice, and limited referral to national oral health policies. This review critically evaluates the literature to assess the effectiveness of FMD, identifies policy, protocol, and practice gaps, and provides recommendations to address these gaps. This review highlights FMD as a promising approach to support optimal oral and systemic health while emphasizing the necessity for FMD protocols to be customized to individual patient needs and for clinicians implementing this strategy to be mindful of specific considerations.