Pure Titanium Membrane (Ultra - Ti) in the Treatment of Periodontal Osseous Defects: A Split-Mouth Comparative Study.

INTRODUCTION

Although many different types of Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR) membranes (resorbable/non-resorbable, including titanium mesh) have been used in the field of Periodontics till now, but this is the first and only clinical study testing the effectiveness of an ultra thin pure Titanium Membrane (Ultra Ti) as a GTR membrane in infra-bony periodontal defects.

AIM

To compare the efficacy of GTR in intra-bony defects with newly introduced non-resorbable barrier membrane, made of titanium called "Ultra-Ti GTR Membrane" versus open flap debridement.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical split mouth study was designed wherein each patient received both the control and test treatment. Two similar defects were selected in each of the 12 patients and were randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Both the surgeries consisted of identical procedures except for the omission of the barrier membrane in the control sites. Full mouth Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), Pocket Probing Depth (PPD) and Relative Attachment Level (RAL) were recorded before surgery and after 6 months and 9 months along with hard tissue measurements at the time of surgery and then at re-entry after 9 months. Radiographs were also taken before surgery and 9 months post operatively. Student's paired t-test and unpaired t-test (SPSS software version 9) were used to analyze the results.

RESULTS

Nine months after treatment, the test defects gained 4.375 ± 1.189mm of RAL, while the control defects yielded a significantly lower RAL gain of 3.417 ± 0.996mm. Pocket reduction was also significantly higher in the test group (4.917 ± 0.996mm) when compared with the controls (3.83 ± 0.718mm). There was a significant bone fill (54.69% of defect fill) obtained in the test site, unlike the control site (8.91%).

CONCLUSION

The present study demonstrated that GTR with "Ultra-Ti GTR Membrane" resulted in a significant added benefit in comparison with open flap debridement.