Figure 4.

Melatonin promotes periodontal healing. Melatonin is considered to have the properties of antibiosis, regulating of the balance of RANKL and OPG, and reducing pro-inflammatory factors and ROS production in periodontal tissues. Melatonin cannot only reduce the number of osteoclasts and increase that of osteoblasts in alveolar bone, but can also increase that of cementoblasts. The ability of melatonin to restore lipid metabolism is also beneficial to periodontal healing because of the mutual promotion of obesity and periodontitis. In addition, the improvement of sleep quality is helpful. On the whole, melatonin application can effectively improve CAL and reduce PD, further promote periodontal healing. RANKL, receptor activator of NF-κB ligand; OPG, osteoprotegerin; ROS, reactive oxygen species; CAL, clinical attachment level; PD, probing depth.