Treatment of furcation defects. Guided tissue regeneration versus coronally positioned flap in mandibular molars; a pilot study.

The present study was designed to compare the healing results after treatment of buccal class II furcation defects in mandibular molars utilizing guided tissue regeneration (GTR) technique or coronally positioned flap (CPF) technique. The patient sample consisted of 8 subjects with 18 bilateral furcation defects in mandibular molars. At baseline, 6 and 12 months postoperatively assessments of plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depths, probing attachment level and bleeding on probing were recorded. Radiographic assessment was performed using conventional radiographs and subtraction images at baseline and 12 months postoperatively. The furcation defects were randomly assigned in each patient to either the GTR or the CPF technique. 12 months postoperatively, there was a statistically significant reduction in probing pocket depths in the GTR treated teeth and a tendency to gain of probing attachment levels 6 months postoperatively. The CPF group showed a statistically significant reduction of probing pocket depths at 6 months and a tendency to reduction after 12 months. The radiological assessment demonstrated gain of interradicular bone tissue in 2 furcation defects of the GTR group. Gain of bone tissue could not be demonstrated in the CPF group. No statistically significant differences were observed between the 2 treatment modalities.