A comparison of Chlorhexidine and Tetracycline local drug delivery systems in management of persistent periodontal pockets- A clinical study

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of two commercially available local drug delivery systems as adjunct to scaling and root planing in the treatment of sites with persistent periodontal pockets. Material and Methods: This was a parallel arm design study. 48 patients with at least 2 non-adjacent teeth with persistent periodontal pockets of probing depth ≥5 mm with bleeding on probing or suppuration were selected. Patients were randomized into 3 treatment groups. One group received scaling and root planing only, whereas the other 2 groups received scaling and root planing plus one of 2 antimicrobial systems adjunctively. Clinical parameters were recorded at baseline, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 1 year after treatment. Result: All the patients showed significantly improve plaque and gingival index scores at the end of 1 year. Probing depth and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) significantly improved in all the groups. However administration of chlorhexidine provided the best results. Conclusion: Even though meticulous scaling and root planing are effective methods in treatment of persistent pockets better results can be achieved by adjunctive use of locally delivered chlorhexidine and tetracycline.