The results indicated that age and gender are powerful independent predictors of clinical attachment loss, as is the mean gingival bleeding index. To a lesser extent, the number of missing teeth was a good predictive variable. The patient profile for severe clinical attachment loss also included body mass index and white blood cell count. Occasional drinking may be associated with decreased severity of CAL.

Based on the International Classification of Periodontal Diseases, approximately 50% of adults in France may suffer from a severe attachment loss problem. Periodontal pockets are an uncommon condition in France. Significant differences in the prevalence of loss of attachment and probing depth with respect to location of attack have implications in the purchase and development of screening and treatment services.

This investigation evaluated guided bone regeneration with a polytetrafluoroethylene barrier membrane at exposed parts of Brånemark dental implants with and without concomitant use of decalcified freeze-dried bone allograft. Density of the regenerated tissue was also determined using a No. 23 probe at a pressure of 25 g and was graded from 1 to 5. The higher index was associated with a higher resistance of newly formed tissue to the pressure of the probe. In 19 patients, 23 defects were treated by barrier membrane alone and 11 defects by bone allograft with barrier membrane. The width and the depth of the defects were determined at the time of the implant placement and at the second-stage implant surgery. When success was defined as 0 mm of residual defect, the mean success rate was 68% for the membrane group and 90% for the membrane group with bone allograft, with no statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups. The two groups did not demonstrate a significant difference in median density index. There was a significant positive relationship between time of membrane coverage and density index. A density index of 4 was only recorded after 7 months of membrane coverage. The present findings suggest beneficial clinical effect with the use of membrane alone and freeze-dried bone allograft with membrane for guided bone regeneration. This study proposed the use of a novel density index for clinical evaluation of regenerated tissue.

In type II diabetics, the diabetes factor is probably more significant than periodontal risk factors, age, and gender.

30 periodontally compromised adult subjects with mandibular buccal class II furcation defects were recruited for this study. All selected defects were treated according to the biological principles of guided tissue regeneration. The subjects were randomly assigned to 2 parallel groups. The test group (n=15) received a bioabsorbable polyglycolic-polylactic membrane (PGA/PLA group); the control group (n=15) received a non-resorbable expanded polytetrafluoroethylene membrane (ePTFE group). After initial therapy, baseline measurements were recorded including plaque index, gingival index, vertical and horizontal probing depths, clinical attachment level and depth of the recession. Recall visits were made at 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. At 12 months, all baseline clinical parameters were again measured. The data analysis did not demonstrate a significant difference between the 2 groups. The vertical probing depth and attachment level changes were statistically significant in each group. The postoperative recession was 0.6 mm in the ePTFE group (p<0.05) and 0.8 mm (p<0.05) in the PGA/PLA group. Compared to the initial measurements, the mean changes in horizontal probing depth were 2.7 mm and 2.5 mm (p<0.001), corresponding to mean reductions of 41.5% and 40.9% for the ePTFE and the PGA/PLA groups respectively. The results of this study suggest that 12 months after initial surgery, similar clinical improvements can be obtained in GTR therapy of buccal class II furcation lesions, regardless of whether bioabsorbable PGA/PLA membranes or non-resorbable ePTFE membranes are used.