Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical efficacy of different chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) preparations applied subgingivally as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP).
Material and methods: A total of 120 periodontal pockets was included in this randomized, controlled, split mouth designed study. According to protocols used in treatment, periodontal pockets were assigned to experimental and control groups as follows: CHX solution as an addition to SRP versus control SRP group; CHX gel as an addition to SRP versus control SRP; CHX chip as an addition to SRP versus control SRP group. Following clinical parameters were recorded at baseline, one and three months after the baseline: plaque index (PI), probing pocket depth (PPD), bleeding index (BI) and clinical attachment level (CAL).
Results: The most significant improvements were found concerning PI in CHX solution with SRP and CHX gel with SRP groups over controls at one month recall, as well as concerning BI and PPD in CHX chip with SRP group over SRP alone at three-month recall.
Conclusion: Results of this study favour combination therapy using CHX chip as an adjunct to SRP due to greater improvements in BI and PPD compared to those obtained by SRP alone in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.
Keywords: Periodontitis; antimicrobials; chlorhexidine gluconate; local drug delivery; scaling and root planing.