CLINICAL USE OF A BIORESORBABLE MATRIX BARRIER IN GUIDED TISSUE REGENERATION THERAPY - CASE SERIES

THIS CASE SERIES STUDY 19 Class II furcations and 47 intrabony defects in 59 patients were treated according to the principles of guided tis sue regeneration using a bioresorbable matrix barrier. Gingival condit ion and device exposure were assessed at 2 weeks, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. The effect of therapy was evaluated by assessing probing depths (PD), probing attachment level (PAL), and the position of the gingival margin prior to surgery and 12 months after surgery. Mild clinical signs of inflammation in the soft tissue covering the de vice was found adjacent to 3 defects only and limited to the first mon th of healing. Device exposure occurred at 10 out of the 66 defects. A t the furcation defects, the mean PD reduction amounted to 3.7 mm (P l ess than or equal to 0.001). Mean gain PAL vertical was 3.4 mm and PAL horizontal 3.3 mm (P less than or equal to 0.001), resulting in compl ete closure of 9 out of the 19 defects. Mean gingival recession was 0. 2 mm. At the intrabony defects mean PD reduction was 5.4 mm and mean g ain of PAL 4.9 mm (P less than or equal to 0.001). Gingival recession averaged 0.5 mm (P less than or equal to 0.05). It was concluded that the use of the matrix barrier in GTR therapy resulted in 1) reduced pr obing depths; 2) pronounced gain of clinical attachment; and 3) a very low incidence of gingival pathology, gingival recession, and device e xposure.