From each participant, two sites of periodontal pockets ( ≥ 5 mm ) were selected and randomly allocated to either the test site (treated with scaling and RSD with S. officinalis gel) or the control site (treated with scaling and RSD alone).
patients diagnosed with periodontitis had at least 20 natural teeth, with probing pocket depth (PPD) ≥ 5 mm and attachment loss ≥ 4 mm
Exclusion criteria were pregnancy, lactation, smoking, and any systemic disease that might affect periodontal disease progression or require antibiotic usage. Likewise, patients who had received anti-inflammatory medications or antibiotics in the preceding three months were excluded.