A 5-year follow-up of 16 patients treated with coralline calcium carbonate(Biocoral (TM)) bone replacement grafts in infrabony defects

A resorbable coralline calcium carbonate graft material (BIOCORAL(TM)) (Cal Carb) was evaluated as a bone replacement graft in human periodontal osseou s defects. Following initial preparation and re-evaluation, flap surgery wa s carried out. Bone defects were curetted and root surfaces subjected to me chanical debridement and conditioning with tetracycline paste. The bone def ects were grafted with CalCarb, and the host flaps replaced or slightly cor onally positioned. Weekly, then monthly deplaquing was performed until surg ical reentry at 6-12 months. Patients were then followed on approximate 3 m onth recalls for greater than or equal to 5 years. Significant clinical cha nges included improvement in mean vertical clinical probing attachment leve l from 5.7 mm at surgery to 4.2 mm at re-entry to 4.0 mm at 5 years, decrea se in mean probing pocket depth from 6.1 mm at surgery to 3.0 mm at re-entr y to 3.3 mm at 5 years, and mean gingival recession from +0.4 mm at surgery to 1.0 mm at re-entry to 0.7 mm at 5 years (all at least p<0.05 from surge ry to re-entry and surgery to 5 years, N.S. from reentry to 5 years via ANO VA). These favorable long-term results with CalCarb suggest that CalCarb ma y have a beneficial effect in the long-term clinical management of infrabon y defects.