Background: A 10-year follow-up study was conducted to clinically evaluate the long-term results after guided tissue regeneration (GTR) therapy of infrabony defects using non-resorbable and bioabsorbable barriers.
Methods: Twelve pairs of contralateral infrabony defects were treated in 12 subjects with advanced periodontitis. Within each subject, one defect received a non-resorbable barrier and the other received a bioabsorbable barrier by random assignment. Clinical parameters were obtained at baseline and at 12 and 120+/-6 months after surgery.
Results: Eight of 12 subjects were available for the examination at 120+/-6 months. Twelve and 120+/-6 months after GTR therapy statistically significant (P<0.05) vertical clinical attachment level (CAL-V) gain was observed in both groups (3.4+/-1.0 mm and 1.5+/-1.2 mm for the control group at 12 and 120 months, respectively, and 3.3+/-1.6 mm and 3.5+/-2.5 mm for the test group at 12 and 120 months, respectively). However, 120+/-6 months after GTR therapy, three infrabony defects (two controls and one 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.
Conclusion: CAL-V gain achieved 12 months after GTR therapy in infrabony defects using non-resorbable and bioabsorbable barriers was stable after 10 years in 12 of 16 defects.