M. Crigger et al., REPAIR FOLLOWING TREATMENT OF CIRCUMFERENTIAL PERIODONTAL DEFECTS IN DOGS WITH COLLAGEN AND EXPANDED POLYTETRAFLUOROETHYLENE BARRIER MEMBRANES, Journal of periodontology, 67(4), 1996, pp. 403-413
THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE healing following treatment of per
iodontal defects using 2 collagen barrier membranes with different deg
rees of cross-linking, and to compare the results to those following u
se of an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane. Horizontal
, circumferential defects were created in mandibular premolar teeth of
6 beagle dogs, followed by placement of membranes and wound closure.
Postoperative healing was monitored clinically for 6 months, at which
time the animals were sacrificed and specimens were taken for histolog
ical examination. Clinical observations indicated that the highly cros
s-linked, slow-resorbing collagen membrane did not integrate with the
tissues the way the less crosslinked, rapid-resorbing collagen did. Me
mbrane exposure was typical for the slow-resorbing membrane in contras
t to the rapid-resorbing membrane which remained covered. The inferior
ity of the slow-resorbing membrane was evident by the extensive clinic
al recession and the attachment level measurements taken at 6 months,
and it was decided to omit this membrane from histometric analysis. Hi
stological examination of root surfaces treated with rapid-resorbing c
ollagen or ePTFE membranes revealed substantial reparative healing. Th
e connective tissue repair amounted to 84% of the treated root surface
height for the rapid-resorbing collagen and 53% for the ePTFE membran
e (difference not statistically significant). However, the connective
tissue repair to the rapid-resorbing collagen group root surfaces was
often associated with a layer of ankylosis (44%, versus 8% of the ePTF
E group). It appeared that much of the ankylotic response was initiate
d from the furcation area and extended around to the buccal and lingua
l surfaces. In addition, this study provided histological evidence tha
t granulation tissue forming under clinically exposed and plaque conta
minated ePTFE membranes can still result in connective tissue repair.
It was concluded that the rapid-resorbing collagen membranes and the e
PTFE membranes seem capable of stimulating periodontal connective tiss
ue repair, whereas the slow-resorbing collagen membranes were unsucces
sful in this effort, as seen in this dog model.