Treatment of intrabony defects with guided tissue regeneration in aggressive periodontitis: clinical outcomes at 6 and 12 months

Objective The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes between guided tissue regeneration (GTR) and access flap (AF) surgery in patients with aggressive periodontitis (AgP). Methods Eighteen AgP patients with similar bilateral intrabony defects were treated in this split-mouth, single-blinded, randomised, controlled clinical trial. All patients presented with ≥3 mm intrabony defects and ≥5 mm periodontal pocket depths (PPD). In each patient, one defect was treated with a polyglycolide membrane according to the GTR principle, whereas the contralateral side was treated with AF. For both sides, a simplified papilla preservation flap was used. At baseline, 6 and 12 months post-surgery, the clinical attachment levels (CAL) and PPD were evaluated. Results At 6 and 12 months, at the GTR sites, the mean [95 % CI] CAL gain was 1.7 mm [1.1, 2.3] and 1.6 mm [0.9, 2.1], respectively, while the mean [95 % CI] PPD reduction was 2.3 mm [1.9, 2.8] and 2.4 mm [1.9, 2.8], respectively. Similar CAL (1.6 mm [1.0, 2.2] and 2.1 mm [1.4, 2.7]) and PPD (2.0 mm [1.5, 2.4] and 2.5 mm [2.0, 3.0]) outcomes were observed at the control sites at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Notably, at the GTR-treated sites, 13 subjects presented with various degrees of membrane exposure. Conclusions Both therapies were effective in the treatment of intrabony defects in AgP patients, and no statistically significant differences between them could be demonstrated, possibly as a result of the differing degrees of membrane exposure at the GTR sites. Clinical relevance Both periodontal regeneration and conventional periodontal surgery are effective treatments for AgP patients.