Evaluation of an absorbable collagen membrane in treating Class II furcation defects
This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of a type I bovine collagen membrane in treatment of Class II furcation defects. Investigators took 12 healthy patients with advanced periodontitis and with bilateral Class II mandibular furcation defects exhibiting attachment loss of 2 6 mm. The patients had undergone Phase I therapy or were maintenance patients that needed surgery. Clinical parameters were pocket depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), mobility, plaque index (P0, and gingival index (GI). This was measured at baseline and two, four, and six months after surgery. All surgical procedures were performed by one periodontist, and defects were assigned randomly to receive either flap debridement plus collagen membrane or flap debridement alone. The material was a collagen membrane prepared from purified bovine Achilles tendon. This material was cut to the proper dimension and was not sutured unless the size of the defect necessitated such a procedure. At the 12-month surgical reentry, clinical measurements were once again taken. The results showed that both the test and the control group improved. Pocket depths, clinical attachment level, recession, mobility, gingival indices, and plaque indices were not statistically significantly different between the two groups. At one year reentry, the collagen group showed higher bone fill, a significant improvement of horizontal probing depth of 25%, and a better vertical bone fill. This study indicated that utilization of the collagen membrane showed better improvement than control and that this membrane was tolerated well by the oral tissues. [M.C.R.]
Wang H.-L., R. O'Neal, C.Thomas, Y. Shyr, and L. MacNeil, J Periodont, 65:1029,1994