Treatment of periodontal furcation defects Coronally positioned flaps versus dura mater membranes in class II defects

Abstract Mandibular class II furcation defects in 19 subjects were treated using 2 different methods of wound closure. In 16 of the defects, the wound was closed with a coronally positioned surgical flap secured by crown-attached sutures. In 15 of the defects, a collagenous membrane (freeze-dried dura mater) was placed to cover the exposed defect, followed by suturing of the surgical flap at the level of the alveolar crest. After use of a coronally positioned flap, an average of 70% of the defect volume became filled with bone, with complete closure by bone fill for 9 of the 16 treated defects. After use of dura mater membrane, 38% of the defect volume was filled with bone, with complete bony closure for 3 of the 15 treated defects. The results following use of coronally positioned flaps support our previous findings and the potentials of this technique. The results following use of dura mater membranes, together with recently reported risk for spread of virus with dura implants, do not justify the use of dura mater for these regenerative purposes.