The use of only enamel matrix derivative allows outstanding regeneration results in periodontal intrabony defect treatment: a retrospective study

Abstract

Periodontal tissue regeneration depends on several biological, homeostatic and regulative variables that directly induce the clinical features. The aim of this study is to compare the clinical results obtained using the enamel matrix derivative peptide (EMP) compared to the less manageable association of EMP and bovine bone xenographic (BPBM) in the treatment of deep intraosseous defects. Ten healthy patients, suffering from moderate or severe chronic periodontitis, having at least two deep and narrow intrabony defects in the same dental arch and needing surgical treatment, were selected. The same patient was treated with the two different materials: EMP -TG1 in one defect and the association-TG2 in the other. Immediately before surgery (T0) and 12-month after (T2) the probing depth (PD) and gingival recession (GR) were registered at the experimental sites. No statistically significant differences were shown between TG1 and TG2 at T0 nor at T1 in term of PD and GR, while a statistically significant PD decrease was found both in TG1 and TG2 between T0 and T1 (p less than 0.05). GR increase resulted statistically significant in TG1 (p less than 0.05) but not in TG2 between T0 and T1 (p≥0.05). In this split-mouth retrospective study, both the treatments achieve favourable clinical results but the TG1 shows a significant increase in GR probably because EMP is not able to support the gingiva covering the intrabony defect. Therefore, the choice of the type of periodontal defect to be treated with EMP will be a therapeutic key-point.