Cigarette smoking is an accepted risk factor for a plethora of diseases including chronic periodontitis. Scientific evidence have shown that smokers harbor higher levels of putative periodontal pathogens and also have an immunosuppressive effect. Hence tobacco smoking has been implicated in poorer response to periodontal treatment. As an alternate therapeutic approach an interest in evaluating the benefits of local anti-microbial therapy as an adjunct to scaling and root planing for the treatment of chronic periodontitis in smokers has risen.