Treatment of intrabony defects with guided tissue regeneration in aggressive periodontitis: clinical outcomes at 6 and 12 months.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and access flap (AF) surgery in patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP). Methods: Eighteen AgP patients with similar bilateral intrabony defects were treated in this split-mouth, single-blinded, randomised, controlled clinical trial. All patients presented with ≥3 mm intrabony defects and ≥5 mm periodontal pocket depths (PPD). In each patient, one defect was treated with a polyglycolide membrane according to the GTR principle, whereas the contralateral side was treated with AF. For both sides, a simplified papilla preservation flap was used. At baseline, 6 and 12 months post-surgery, the clinical attachment levels (CAL) and PPD were evaluated. Results: At 6 and 12 months, at the GTR sites, the mean [95 % CI] CAL gain was 1.7 mm [1.1, 2.3] and 1.6 mm [0.9, 2.1], respectively, while the mean [95 % CI] PPD reduction was 2.3 mm [1.9, 2.8] and 2.4 mm [1.9, 2.8], respectively. Similar CAL (1.6 mm [1.0, 2.2] and 2.1 mm [1.4, 2.7]) and PPD (2.0 mm [1.5, 2.4] and 2.5 mm [2.0, 3.0]) outcomes were observed at the control sites at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Notably, at the GTR-treated sites, 13 subjects presented with various degrees of membrane exposure. Conclusions: Both therapies were effective in the treatment of intrabony defects in AgP patients, and no statistically significant differences between them could be demonstrated, possibly as a result of the differing degrees of membrane exposure at the GTR sites. Clinical relevance: Both periodontal regeneration and conventional periodontal surgery are effective treatments for AgP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]