MULTICENTER EVALUATION OF BIOABSORBABLE COLLAGEN MEMBRANE FOR GUIDED TISSUE REGENERATION IN HUMAN CLASS-II FURCATIONS

CLINICAL DATA RELATED TO GTR THERAPY for Class II furcations were anal yzed from 7 treatment centers that evaluated one of two possible treat ment pairs, either bioabsorbable collagen membrane (Type I bovine tend on collagen) (COLL) versus control surgical debridement (DEBR) or COLL versus expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). After initial prepar ation and re-evaluation, full thickness flaps were reflected, the defe cts debrided, and the roots planed. Furcations and associated bony def ects in each patient were randomly assigned to one of the 2 treatments in each pair, and the flaps closed. Patients received quarterly perio dontal maintenance until surgical re-entry at 6 to 12 (mean 11.1) mont hs. Data from 59 pairs of Class II furcations were analyzed via paired t, Wilcoxon signed rank, and RM ANOVA tests. COLL showed better resul ts than DEBR for vertical defect fill, percent defect resolution, and horizontal furcation fill. When COLL was compared to ePTFE in furcatio ns across patients, no differences were found. Both COLL and ePTFE res ulted in an improvement in clinical furcation Class about 50% of the t ime (compared to 7% frequency with DEBR). COLL use yielded 8 and ePTFE yielded 1 clinically-complete furcation closures. COLL barriers resul ted in generally favorable clinical results in furcation defects, appe ared to be better than DEBR alone, and were at least similar to and of ten better than ePTFE. COLL of the type used in this study appears to be a useful and beneficial material for regenerative therapy in Class II furcation type periodontal defects.