Treatment of interproximal angular defects by guided tissue regeneration: 1 year follow-up

The periodontal regeneration of interproximal bone defects of the posterior teeth produced by guided tissue regeneration (GTR), with expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene barrier membranes and conventional therapy, was clinically evaluated in 20 intrabony periodontal defects in 10 patients. The material included the presence of at least two proximal angular lesions for the same patient, probing pocket depth > or = 6 mm, bone defect depth > or = 3 mm, and 2-wall defects with crestal involvement relative to the tooth circumference ranging from 90 to 270 degrees. Healing was clinically evaluated by surgical re-entry of GTR-treated sites (10 sites) and debridement only sites (10 sites) 1 year after initial surgery following a strict plaque control regimen. A significant correlation was observed between probing depth reduction, attachment gain and defect depth (test sites); there was increased bone fill in GTR-treated lesions of 2.95 +/- 1.3 mm corresponding to a 69.4% improvement compared to control sites, and 1.3 +/- 1.0 mm corresponding to a 32% improvement (P < 0.0039). The results demonstrated that bone regeneration is highly reliable, as compared to conventional therapy, in cases of severe periodontal bone loss from posterior teeth provided that the principles of GTR are applied.