Use of a biodegradable chlorhexidine chip in the treatment of adult periodontitis: Clinical and radiographic findings

Background: Previous multi-center trials demonstrated the efficacy of a bio degradable chlorhexidine-gelatin chip (CHX) in reducing probing depth in pa tients with periodontitis. The present study utilized a subset of subjects from the parent study to determine if the CHX chip was effective in maintai ning alveolar bone over a 9-month period. Methods: Forty-five subjects with at least four 5 to 8 mm pockets, stratifi ed by smoking status, were enrolled in this double-blind controlled, placeb o-controlled trial. Control groups received either placebo chip plus scalin g and root planing (SRP) or SRP alone. Test group subjects received active CHX chip or SRP alone (to maintain the blind). Standardized radiographs wer e taken for quantitative digital Subtraction radiography at baseline and 9 months. Results: At 9 months, 15% of SRP treated subjects experienced loss of bone in 1 or more sites, no subject treated with active chip plus SRP lost bone (P <0.01). At 9 months, significant differences in the change in probing de pth and clinical attachment levels favoring the active chip over SRP alone or SRP plus CHX chip were also observed (P <0.05). Conclusions: These data indicate that the CHX chip, when used as an adjunct to scaling and root planing, significantly reduces loss of alveolar bone.