Does root surface conditioning with citric acid delay healing?
The purpose of this investigation was to compare early wound maturation in acid-conditioned periodontal defects to that of surgical controls in standardized periodontal defects in six beagle dogs. Fenestration-type defects were used for experimentation. One defect in each dog was conditioned with citric acid for three minutes. Control defects were treated with saline only. The defects were covered with membrane. Histometrically, citric acid-conditioned defects exhibited a higher density of collagen fibers and more resolution of the residual blood clot. All control defects, but none of the acid-conditioned defects, showed an artifactual split between the dentin walls and granulation tissue. This study failed to support the contention that topical application of citric acid to root surfaces may delay healing following periodontal surgery. [S.L.]
Selvig K.A., G.C. Bogle, T.J. Sigurdsson, and U.M.E. Wikesjo, J Clin Periodont, 23:119, 1996