EFFECT OF LOCAL METRONIDAZOLE APPLICATION ON PERIODONTAL HEALING FOLLOWING GUIDED TISSUE REGENERATION - CLINICAL FINDINGS

THE EFFECT ON PERIODONTAL HEALING after guided tissue regeneration (GT R) in association with local application of metronidazole gel was eval uated in this study. Twelve patients with one pair of vertical periodo ntal bone defects of comparable size and configuration participated in the study. In a matched paired design, the test defects were treated by GTR using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes in com bination with local application of metronidazole gel. The controls wer e treated in the same way except for application of metronidazole. Dur ing the first month of membrane implantation, no statistically signifi cant differences between test and control surfaces were noted with res pect to inflammation of the marginal gingiva. Six weeks following inse rtion, the membranes were removed. Six months after removal of the mem brane, the median gain in probing attachment level as a percentage of the initial defect depth was 92% for test defects and 50% for control defects (P = .001). No statistically significant differences were foun d between test and control sites regarding plaque, bleeding on probing , reduction in pocket depth, gain in bone height, or recession of the gingival margin. In conclusion, the results of the present study indic ate that local application of metronidazole gel has a beneficial effec t on healing of periodontal vertical defects treated by guided tissue regeneration.