Comparative study of DFDBA in combination with enamel matrix derivative versus DFDBA alone for treatment of periodontal intrabony defects at 12 months post-surgery

The aim of this randomized double-blind, clinical trial was to compare the use of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) and demineralised freeze-dried bone allografts (DFDBA) with DFDBA alone for the treatment of human periodontal intrabony defects at 12 months post-surgery. Fifty-six intrabony osseous defects in 56 periodontis patients were randomly assigned to the test group (DFDBA + EMD) or the control group (DFDBA) for periodontal treatment. Clinical and radiographic measurements were made at the baseline and after 12 months. Compared to baseline, the 12-month results indicated that both treatment modalities resulted in significant changes in all clinical parameters (gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival recession; P < 0.05) and radiographic parameters (hard tissue fill (HTF) and bone depth reduction; P < 0.05). Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found in the test group compared to the control group in PD reduction (5.0 mm vs. 4.0 mm; P < 0.05), CAL gain (4.0 mm vs. 3.25 mm), and HTF (4.0 mm vs. 3.5 mm; P < 0.05). In the test group, 25% of sites gained >4 mm of CAL, while in the control group, 7.1% of sites gained >4 mm of CAL. Both treatments showed a good soft and hard periodontal tissue response. At 12 months post-surgery, the combined use of DFDBA and EMD seemed to produce a statistically significant improvement of PD reduction, CAL gain, and HTF.