CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF HTR POLYMER BONE-REPLACEMENT GRAFTS IN HUMAN MANDIBULAR CLASS-II MOLAR FURCATIONS

A BIOCOMPATIBLE MICROPOROUS COMPOSITE of PMMA (poly-methyl-methacrylat e), PHEMA (poly-hydroxyl-ethyl-methacrylate), and calcium hydroxide (H TR) or autogenous osseous coagulum (AOC) bone replacement grafts were evaluated in 15 pairs of mandibular molar Class II furcations in 9 pat ients. Following initial preparation, full thickness flaps were raised to gain access to the furcations; mechanical hand and ultrasonic root and defect debridement and chemical (tetracycline) root preparation w ere performed; paired furcations in each patient were randomly grafted with either HTR or AOC; and the host flaps replaced or slightly coron ally positioned. Weekly, then monthly, deplaquing was performed until surgical re-entry at 6 to 12 months. Both treatments improved the clin ical status of the treated furcations. Direct clinical measurements de monstrated essentially equivalent clinical results with both bone repl acement graft materials related to most hard and soft tissue changes i n the furcations. Differences in favor of HTR were found for horizonta l residual furcation depth (2.4 mm vs. 3.9 mm), horizontal furcation f ill (1.9 mm vs. 0.8 mm), and percent horizontal furcation fill (44.4% vs. 17.1%) (all P less than or equal to 0.05 paired t test). These fav orable results with HTR polymer are similar to several reports with ot her graft materials and with GTR barriers, and suggest that HTR polyme r may be a useful therapeutic adjunct in the clinical management of gr ade II mandibular molar furcations.