Antiseptics and antibiotics as chemotherapeutic agents for periodontitis management.

Antiseptics and antibiotics have both been used to treat periodontal infections. Although antiseptics and antibiotics have antibacterial properties, they represent two distinct and separate categories for agents. Sustained-release delivery systems have made it possible to use these agents to augment the beneficial effects of mechanical periodontal therapy. This article provides an overview of antiseptics and antibiotics, and compares and makes recommendations for the use of these agents in periodontics. The objective of this article is to provide an understanding of the distinct properties of each of these categories of antimicrobial agents.