The guided tissue regeneration (Nyman et al. 1982) is a well-established surgical technique which main goal is to reconstruct the periodontal ligament with functional collagen fibers inserted into a newly formed cementum and alveolar bone. Teeth with periodontal disease resulting in deep infrabony pockets are successfully treated with this technique. Its main prognostic factors from clinical and biological standpoint include: blood clot stabilization, primary closure of the defect, space provision and exclusion from the gingival tissues. Several surgical techniques have been proposed for utilization of GTR. Lately these techniques have been aiming at minimal invasiveness for optimal wound closure and lesser postoperative morbidity. The aim of this presentation was to compare the clinical outcomes of two different techniques for GTR:modified papilla preservation flap (Cortelinni et al, 1995) vs. single flap approach.
Results: The obtained data revealed significantly better results in CAL gain (3.6+/-1.3 mm vs. 2.1+/- 1.2 ), PD reduction (2.7+/- 0.8 vs. 1.4 +/-0.6) and REC ( 1.5 +/- 0.9 vs. 2.6 +/- 0.8) at baseline and one year post surgery in test group.
Conclusion: Results from our analysis suggest that single flap approach as less invasive provides better clinical outcomes, although without big clinical relevance considering the small number of patients
