Application of a gel containing atorvastatin along with scaling and root planing resulted in more bone fill than the same procedures plus placebo gel in patients with severe chronic periodontitis, according to a study published in the Journal of Periodontology. Researchers injected the gel into periodontal pockets and measured bone fill, plaque, probing depth and other metrics at baseline, 6 months and 9 months. Patients who received the atorvastatin gel had significantly better results on all metrics except plaque than the patients who received placebo.