The case for ostectomy--a time-tested therapeutic modality in selected periodontitis sites.

Although ostectomy has been proven in numerous studies to be an effective means of reducing pocket depth, some clinicians still question its merits. To determine the efficacy of ostectomy for the treatment of periodontitis, 870 pairs of presurgical and postsurgical radiographs of sites treated by ostectomy were examined. The postsurgical radiographs, taken 5 to 30 years postoperatively, revealed distinct lamina dura and demonstrated that ostectomy is an effective and predictable technique for intercepting the progressive loss of attachment in selected sites with periodontitis.