Principles of pharmacologic intervention

Ethyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol-based sustained-release sparfloxacin chip: an alternative therapy for advanced periodontitis

This study reports the development of a sustained-release system of sparfloxacin for use in the treatment of periodontal disease. A sustained-release sparfloxacin device was formulated, based on ethyl cellulose (EC) 10 cps, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000, and diethyl phthalate (DEPh). It will hereafter be called the sparfloxacin chip (SRS chip). The chip has dimensions of 10 mm length, 2 mm width, and 0.5 mm thickness. The in vitro drug release pattern and clinical evaluation of the formulations were studied. Reports of the short-term clinical study show that the use of the SRS chip may cause complete eradication of the pathogenic bacteria in the periodontal pockets of patients who have chronic generalized periodontitis. In this clinical study, the baseline and follow-up measurements of various clinical indices, such as oral hygiene index(es), plaque index, sulcular depth component of periodontal disease index, gingival crevicular fluid flow measurement, and dark field microscopic examinations of oral pathogens in plaque samples were studied. Significant improvements were observed in many parameters of the treatment group compared with the placebo group.