Clinical evaluation of a bioabsorbable regenerative material in mandibular class II furcation therapy

30 periodontally compromised adult subjects with mandibular buccal class II furcation defects were recruited for this study. All selected defects were treated according to the biological principles of guided tissue regeneration. The subjects were randomly assigned to 2 parallel groups. The test group (n=15) received a bioabsorbable polyglycolic-polylactic membrane (PGA/PLA group); the control group (n=15) received a non-resorbable expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane (ePTFE group). After initial therapy, baseline measurements were recorded including plaque index, gingival index, vertical and horizontal probing depths, clinical attachment level and depth of the recession. Recall visits were made at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. At 12 months, all baseline clinical parameters were again measured. The data analysis did not demonstrate a significant difference between the 2 groups. The vertical probing depth and attachment level changes were statistically significant in each group. The postoperative recession was 0.6 mm in the ePTFE group (p<0.05) and 0.8 mm (p<0.05) in the PGA/PLA group. Compared to the initial measurements, the mean changes in horizontal probing depth were 2.7 mm and 2.5 mm (p<0.001), corresponding to mean reductions of 41.5% and 40.9% for the ePTFE and the PGA/PLA groups respectively. The results of this study suggest that 12 months after initial surgery, similar clinical improvements can be obtained in GTR therapy of buccal class II furcation lesions, regardless of whether bioabsorbable PGA/PLA membranes or non-resorbable ePTFE membranes are used.