Experimentally-produced defects in the non-human primate are preferred for testing the efficacy and safety of periodontal regenerative therapies. These animals closely resemble the human in dental anatomy and periodontal wound healing physiology. Defects can be produced which do not display spontaneous regeneration and which are contralaterally identical. Thus, within animals, untreated controls can be obtained to indicate the level of supporting tissues prior to therapy. The use of non-human primate models is recommended for science transfer experiments involving invasive surgery and the testing of potentially harmful new devices and pharmaceuticals.