Clinical evaluation of guided tissue regeneration procedure in the treatment of grade II mandibular molar furcations

Abstract

The management of furcation defects remains a challenge in periodontal therapy, Traditionally, furcation therapy involved scaling, rootplaning, furcation plasty and resective techniques. The purpose of this study was to clinically evaluate the potential of guided tissue regeneration in the treatment of mandibular molar grade II furcations using a nonresorbable barrier, TefGen-GTR and compare it with open flap debridement alone. Ten patients with similar bilateral grade II furcation lesions participated in the study. TefGen-GTR was placed in the experimental sites while the contralateral sites served as controls. Treatment effects were evaluated at six months reentry. Both groups showed gain in vertical and horizontal open probing attachment and defect depth reduction when compared to baseline values, with experimental sites showing statistically significant improvement over the controls. The results suggest that the nonresorbable Teflon barrier, TefGen-GTR, may be used as an alternative for treatment of grade II furcation invasions.