Treatment of periodontal pockets with tricalcium phosphate in man. A preliminary report.

After oral hygiene instruction 29 infrabony pockets in 9 patients were treated with deep scaling and flap surgery. The pockets were filled with a biodegradable tricalcium phosphate implant paste. 6 months postoperatively the average reduction of clinical pockets was 2.6 mm and the radiographically detectable attachment was 1.1 mm more coronal than preoperatively. 10% of the pockets remained deeper than 3 mm. Easy handling and simple storage are the predominant advantages of the described implantation material. Before recommending it for general use, however, some technical problems will have to be solved.