Periochip

The most frequently observed adverse events in the two pivotal clinical trials were toothache, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. Toothache was the only adverse reaction that was significantly higher (p = 0.042) in the PerioChip group when compared to placebo. Most oral pain or sensitivity occurred within the first week of the initial chip placement following SRP procedures, was mild to moderate in nature, and spontaneously resolved within days. These reactions were observed less frequently with subsequent chip placement at 3 and 6 months.

Table 3 lists adverse events, occurring in ≥ 1% of 225 patients that received PerioChip, pooled from the two pivotal clinic trials without regard to causality. Gingival bleeding was the only dental adverse event occurring at a rate of ≤ 1% in both groups.

Table 3 : Adverse events (frequency ≥ 1% for the PerioChip group) reported from 2 five-center U.S. clinical trials

PerioChip is used as an adjunct to scaling and root planing procedures for reduction of pocket depth in patients with adult periodontitis. PerioChip may be used as a part of a periodontal maintenance program, which includes good oral hygiene and scaling and root planing. 

This medication belongs to a group of drugs called antimicrobials. It works by reducing bacteria in the mouth.

PerioChip comes as a dental chip. It is inserted by your dentist into the gum pocket at most once every three months.

Common side effects of the rinse include tooth discoloration, tartar buildup, and altered taste.

Common side effects of the chip include toothache, headache, and upper airway infection.

This is not a complete list of PerioChip side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

PerioChip falls into category C. There are no well-controlled studies that have been done in pregnant women. PerioChip should be used during pregnancy only if the possible benefit outweighs the possible risk to the unborn baby.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if the active ingredient in PerioChip crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using PerioChip.

Use this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. 

The recommended dose of PerioChip (chlorhexidine dental chip) for the treatment of treat gingivitis, redness and swelling of gums, and to control gum bleeding is 2.5 mg chip every 3 months.

Microbiology

Chlorhexidine gluconate is active against a broad spectrum of microbes. The chlorhexidine molecule, due to its positive charge, reacts with the microbial cell surface, destroys the integrity of the cell membrane, penetrates into the cell, precipitates the cytoplasm, and the cell dies. Studies with Periochip showed reductions in the numbers of the putative periodontopathic organisms Porphyromonas (Bacteroides) gingivalis, Prevotella (Bacteroides) intermedia, Bacteroides forsythus, and Campylobacter rectus (Wolinella recta) after placement of the chip. No overgrowth of opportunistic organisms or other adverse changes in the oral microbial ecosystem were noted. The relationship of the microbial findings to clinical outcome has not been established.

Pharmacokinetics

Periochip releases chlorhexidine in vitro in a biphasic manner, initially releasing approximately 40% of the chlorhexidine within the first 24 hours and then releasing the remaining chlorhexidine in an almost linear fashion for 7-10 days. This enzymatic release rate assay is an experimental collagenase assay that differs from the Regulatory Specification's Agar Release Rate Assay. This release profile may be explained as an initial burst effect, dependent on diffusion of chlorhexidine from the chip, followed by a further release of chlorhexidine as a result of enzymatic degradation.

In an in vivo study of 18 evaluable adult patients, there were no detectable plasma or urine levels of chlorhexidine following the insertion of 4 Periochips under clinical conditions. The concentration of chlorhexidine released from the Periochip was determined in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of these same subjects. In these subjects, a highly variable biphasic release profile for chlorhexidine was demonstrated, with GCF levels 4 hours after chip insertion (mean: 1444 ± 783 μg/mL), followed by a second peak at 72 hours (mean: 1902 ± 1073 μg/mL). In a second study involving the insertion of 1 Periochip under clinical conditions, the mean GCF level of chlorhexidine peaked at 1088 ± 678 μg/mL at 4 hours. The mean GCF levels then declined in a highly erratic fashion to levels of 482 ± 447 μg/mL at 72 hours without producing a true second peak.

The results of these studies confirm a high degree of intersubject variability in chlorhexidine release from the Periochip matrix in vivo that was not seen in vitro. Due to the nature and clinical use of the Periochip dosage form, dose proportionality was not and would not be expected to be demonstrated between the two studies.

Clinical Studies

In two double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trials, 447 adult patients with periodontitis were entered who had at least 4 pockets with probing depth of 5-8 mm that bled on probing. Patients studied were in good general health. Diabetics were excluded from the studies. Periochip was not studied in acutely abscessed periodontal pockets. Patients were free of supragingival calculus prior to baseline. In these two studies, the effects of scaling and root planing (SRP) alone, and SRP followed by Periochip treatment, were compared. All patients received full mouth SRP at baseline. If the pocket depth remained ≥ 5 mm at 3 and/or 6 months after initial treatment, another chip was placed into the pocket. Teeth treated with Periochip were found to have significantly reduced probing pocket depth (PD) compared with those treated with SRP alone at 9 months after initial treatment, as shown in Table 1.

Periochip treatment resulted in a greater percentage of pockets and patients that showed an improvement in PD of 2 mm or more compared with SRP alone at 9 months, as shown in Table 2. The differences in improvement were statistically significant when analyzed on a per patient basis (p < 0.005). Periochip treatment maintained probing attachment level (PAL) compared with baseline or with SRP alone at 9 months. The effects of Periochip on bleeding upon probing have not been established. In the two studies, there were no significant changes in plaque development or gingivitis. Smokers and non-smokers were enrolled in these studies; although non-smokers using Periochip demonstrated significant improvement in PD, smokers demonstrated a trend towards improvement that did not reach statistical significance. This finding is consistent with the consensus that smoking is a risk factor in periodontal diseases.

In the two clinical studies above and an additional study (619 patients), the adverse effects of tooth staining or altered taste perception were not reported after the use of Periochip.

The most frequently observed adverse events in the two pivotal clinical trials were toothache, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. Toothache was the only adverse reaction that was significantly higher (p = 0.042) in the Periochip group when compared to placebo. Most oral pain or sensitivity occurred within the first week of the initial chip placement following SRP procedures, was mild to moderate in nature, and spontaneously resolved within days. These reactions were observed less frequently with subsequent chip placement at 3 and 6 months.

Table 3 lists adverse events, occurring in ≥ 1% of 225 patients that received Periochip, pooled from the two pivotal clinical trials without regard to causality. Gingival bleeding was the only dental adverse event occurring at a rate of ≤ 1% in both groups.

Periochip (chlorhexidine gluconate) 2.5 mg is supplied as a small, orange-brown, rectangular chip (rounded at one end), in cartons of 20 chips (NDC52096-001-22). Each chip is individually packed in a separate compartment of an aluminum blister pack.

Store at 20° - 25°C with excursions permitted to 15° - 30° C (59° - 86°F).

Rx only.

Exp:

Batch:

Periochip® 2.5 mg

[chlorhexidine gluconate]

Bar code

0 64239 10120 4