Chlorhexidine Gluconate
Brand names: Chlorhexidine Gluconate, Periogard
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 2,027,204
- Medicare drug cost
- $10.4M
- Average cost per prescription
- $5.12
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 45,833
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
INDICATION Chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse, 0.12% is indicated for use between dental visits as part of a professional program for the treatment of gingivitis as characterized by redness and swelling of the gingivae, including gingival bleeding upon probing. Chlorhexidine gluconate oral rinse, 0.12% has not been tested among patients with acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG). For patients having coexisting gingivitis and periodontitis, see PRECAUTIONS.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated August 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Dentists (general) 43.8%
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons 24.1%
- Periodontists 12.5%
- Internal Medicine 5.9%
- Family Medicine 3.9%
- Nurse Practitioners 3.4%
- Prosthodontists 1.2%
- Physician Assistants 1.0%
- Endodontists 0.9%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.5%
- ENT (Otolaryngology) 0.4%
- General Practice 0.3%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 31% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Nevada +53%
- Virginia +51%
- Georgia +50%
- Tennessee +48%
- South Carolina +44%
- Rhode Island (smallest change) +3%
- Iowa (smallest change) +8%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 3 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Atlantic Biologicals Corp.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 mg | blue rinse | |
Iba Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 5.5 kg | pink liquid | |
Pai Holdings, LLC dba PAi Pharma
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 mg | blue rinse | |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $1,630 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Molnlycke Health Care US, LLC $780
- Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $528
- Solventum Corporation $323
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Aug 2026 · Sage Products, LLC · Class II
Cross Contamination with Other Products
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.