Polymer-assisted regeneration therapy with Atrisorb® barriers in human periodontal intrabony defects

Aim: This study compared clinical results of 40 periodontal osseous defects treated by two types of absorbable barrier materials. Material and Methods: Thirty patients (23 males and seven females) suffering from moderate to advanced periodontitis (with comparable osseous defects) were randomly assigned to receive either Atrisorb(R) barrier (n=22; group A) or Resolut XT(R) barrier (n=18; group B) therapy. Periodontal phase I treatment and oral hygiene instruction were performed before periodontal surgery. Papillary preservation, partial thickness flap, citric acid root conditioning, and decortication procedures were applied during the operation. Bone defects were filled with demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft and minocycline mixture (4:1 ratio). Postoperative care included 0.10% chlorhexidine rinse daily and antibiotic medication for 2 weeks. Clinical assessments including probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession (GR), plaque index (PlI), gingival index (GI), and radiographic examinations were taken at the baseline, preoperatively and at 3 and 6 months after regenerative surgery. Results: Six months following therapy, both Atrisorb(R) and Resolut XT(R) groups had achieved comparable clinical improvement in pocket reduction (3.9 versus 4.4 mm), attachment tissue gain (clinical attachment gain; 3.5 versus 3.6 mm), and reduction in the GI and in the PlI. Within-group comparisons showed significant attachment gain and pocket reduction between baseline data and those at both 3 and 6 months postoperatively (p<0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in any measured data between groups A and B. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that a comparable and favorable regeneration of periodontal defects can be achieved with both Atrisorb(R) and Resolut XT(R) barriers. Further long-term study and histologic observations of tissue healing are needed to evaluate whether Atrisorb(R) is promising for clinical use.