TREATMENT OF DEHISCENCES AND FENESTRATIONS AROUND DENTAL IMPLANTS USING RESORBABLE AND NONRESORBABLE MEMBRANES ASSOCIATED WITH BONE AUTOGRAFTS - A COMPARATIVE CLINICAL-STUDY

This study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of poly(lactic aci d) and poly(glycolic acid) (PLA/PGA) resorbable membranes in conjuncti on with autogenous bone grafts when used for the treatment of implant dehiscences and/or fenestrations. Nine patients with a total of 18 imp lants participated. Nine implants were associated with dehiscences, an d 9 with fenestrations; 16 implants were in the maxilla, and 2 in the mandible, Nine defects were treated with PLA/PGA membranes (test group ), and the nine were treated with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e- PTFE) membranes (control group). Second-stage surgery was performed af ter 6 to 7 months of healing. Overall results of the regenerative ther apy of the 18 defects showed a highly significant (P < .001) defect re duction, with a 93.38% (SD = 15.88) bone fill. A slightly higher perce ntage of bone fill was found in the e-PTFE group (98.20%) than in the PLA/PGA group (88.56%), but the difference was not statistically signi ficant (P = .207). This study demonstrated that resorbable PLA/PGA mem branes can be equally effective as e-PTFE in the treatment of implant dehiscences and fenestrations when associated with autogenous bone chi ps.