Orapharma's ARESTIN contains “Microspheres”—tiny, invisible, bead-like particles that are fi lled with the antibiotic minocycline. They release the drug over time into the infected periodontal pocket, killing bacteria for up to 21 days. ARESTIN also significantly reduces the size of periodontal pockets compared to SRP alone, kills the bacteria most commonly associated with periodontal disease, and reduces bleeding on probing of the gums.

In a product evaluation for Dental Product Shopper, 8 dentists and hygienists gave ARESTIN a 'Best Product' rating with a final score of 4.5 out of 5.0. In this review, evaluators commented on several features, including ease of administration, effectiveness, and improved clinical results (over scaling and root planing alone).

Ease of Use
ARESTIN is packaged in a unit-dose cartridge, which is inserted into a cartridge handle for product administration. Each cartridge contains enough ARESTIN for 1 periodontal pocket. It requires no preparation before administration, comes premixed and premeasured, and it does not require refrigeration or local anesthesia. Six evaluators noted ease of use as the feature they like best, with 1 noting that ARESTIN is “easy to apply to pockets” and that it confers “no sensitivity to the patients.”

Effectiveness
ARESTIN contains the antibiotic minocycline, a member of the tetracycline class of antibiotics. Minocycline exerts its antimicrobial activity by inhibiting protein synthesis and has been shown to be effective against the pathogens associated with periodontal disease. When ARESTIN is inserted, it immediately adheres to the periodontal pocket. Gingival crevicular fluid hydrolyzes the polymer, causing waterfi lled channels to form inside the Microspheres, allowing a controlled, sustained release of minocycline. With regard to the improved clinical results (over scaling and root planing alone), one evaluator from Indiana simply said, “It works.” When asked what they liked best about ARESTIN, another evaluator said, “It is easy to use and works great!”

Overall Satisfaction
When asked about their overall satisfaction with ARESTIN, 6 evaluators rated it as excellent and 2 rated it as very good. An evaluator who gave the product an overall rating of excellent and said they would definitely recommend ARESTIN to colleagues said, “It is the best method we have for depositing antibiotic directly into the pocket.”