10 Year Results of GTR Therapy (case series)

Objectives: 10-year follow-up to clinically evaluate the long-term results after GTR therapy of infrabony defects using non-resorbable and bioabsorbable barriers.

Methods: In 12 patients suffering from advanced periodontitis 12 pairs of contralateral infrabony defects were treated. Within each patient one defect received a non-resorbable (control: C) and the other a bioabsorbable (test: T) barrier by random assignment. At baseline, 12 and 120±6 months after surgery clinical parameters were obtained.

Results: Eight of 12 patients were available for the 120±6 months examinations. Twelve and 120*6 months after GTR therapy statistically significant (p < 0.05) vertical attachment (CAL-V) gain was observed in both groups (C12: 3.4*1.0 mm; C120: 1.5*1.2 mm; T12: 3.3*1.6 mm; T120: 3.5*2.5 mm). However, 120±6 months after GTR therapy 3 infrabony defects (2 controls, 1 test) had lost > 2 mm of the attachment that had been gained 12 months after GTR therapy and a statistically significant mean CAL-V loss of 1.7*1.3 mm was observed from 12 to 120±6 months in the control group. One tooth in the control group was lost between 60 and 120±6 months. The case series failed to show statistically significant differences between test and control regarding CAL-V gain 120±6 months after surgery.

Conclusions: CAL-V gain achieved 12 months after GTR therapy in infrabony defects using both non-resorbable and bioabsorbable barriers was stable after 10 years in 12 of 16 defects.