The local delivery of chlorhexidine in a bioresorbable matrix.

The use of local antimicrobial agents, such as the chlorhexidine chip, should be used cautiously and not without thorough debridement or scaling and root planing of the area in question. Because these chips are basically nonsurgical, patients become enthusiastically excited and relieved to learn they don't need surgery. But patients must be strongly advised that surgical intervention may be a next step in the correction of the periodontal pocket if significant change is not attained with local antimicrobials.