Regenerative surgical treatment of furcation defects: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta‐analysis of randomized clinical trials

This human clinical trial evaluated the clinical and histologic response to recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) delivered in bone allograft for the treatment of advanced Class II furcation defects. Three mandibular and one maxillary molar furcation defects were treated: Two received 0.5 mg/mL and two received 1.0 mg/mL rhPDGF-BB, in all cases mixed with DFDBA. Clinical probing depths and attachment levels were obtained presurgically and 9 months postsurgical, after which the teeth and surrounding tissues were removed en bloc. Both concentrations of rhPDGF-BB resulted in substantially improved horizontal (mean 3.5 mm) and vertical (mean 4.25 mm) probing depths and attachment levels (mean 3.75 mm). Histologic evaluation revealed periodontal regeneration, including new bone, cementum, and periodontal ligament coronal to the reference notch. Regeneration was also present coronal to the original osseous crest In one case where an enamel projection extended into the fornix of the furcation, new calcified tissue with new inserting connective tissue fibers was observed over the enamel. This study documented the favorable tissue response to rhPDGF-BB treatment at both the clinical and microscopic levels, provided the first human histologic evidence that new calcified tissue with inserting collagen fibers can occur over enamel projections within furcations, and demonstrated for the first time that complete periodontal regeneration can be achieved in advanced Class II furcation defects using a combination of purified recombinant growth factor and bone allograft.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three methods using calcium sulfate as a graft/barrier for the treatment of Class II mandibular furcation defects. Thirty-six defects in 17 patients were treated with a graft/barrier of pure calcium sulfate, calcium sulfate plus doxycycline, or demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) in a 2:1 ratio by volume. Defects were randomly selected for treatment, and all measurement parameters were standardized to a light-cured acrylic resin stent at baseline and 6, 9, and 12 months. Linear regression, ANOVA, and chi-squared analysis revealed that all three groups showed significant bone fill (P < .05), vertical and horizontal probing depth reduction, defect volume reduction, and a gain in vertical clinical attachment. Furthermore, the addition of either doxycycline or DFDBA to calcium sulfate significantly enhanced the clinical outcome more than did the calcium sulfate alone, and the addition of DFDBA was more effective in the treatment of Class II mandibular furcation defects than doxycycline.

Treatment of maxillary furcation lesions presents important clinical challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of buccal class II furcation defects in systemically healthy, non-smoking, Adult Periodontitis patients undergoing supportive periodontal therapy and surgical periodontal regenerative techniques. The treatment protocol emphasised infection control, careful soft tissue management and wound stability. Two experiments were performed. In the first experiment, a coronally positioned flap (CPF) technique was compared with surgical debridement. In the second experiment, an experimental technique (ET) was also compared with surgical debridement. The ET was a combination of a composite graft consisting of microparticulate (40-70 microns) hydroxyapatite and tetracycline (3:1), a guided tissue regeneration barrier (GTR) and CPF. Sixty patients were divided into the four (n = 15) treatment groups. The clinical variables evaluated were plaque, bleeding-on-probing scores, gingival recession, probing pocket depth (PD), vertical (VAL) and horizontal attachment levels (HAL). Reevaluation was performed 12 months after the surgical procedures and revealed that the three techniques resulted in improvements in all the clinical variables evaluated. Post-operative measurements from controls, CPF and ET showed (respectively) 1.53 +/- 1.12 mm, 1.40 +/- 0.75 mm, 2.43 +/- 1.36 mm reduction in PD; 0.63 +/- 0.1 mm, 1.17 +/- 1.12 mm and 1.57 +/- 1.32 mm VAL gains and 1.03 +/- 0.30 mm, 1.40 +/- 0.96 mm and 2.13 +/- 1.52 mm HAL gains. Five out of fifteen furcations in the ET group were closed after treatment. It was concluded that satisfactory clinical results--measured by PD reduction, VAL and HAL gains--can be obtained in advanced defects formerly considered as being non-responsive to regenerative periodontal therapy. The proposed ET showed significantly better results, with more PD reduction, HAL and VAL gains and a higher frequency of furcation closure compared with the other techniques tested, and shows promise as a new regenerative treatment technique.