Clinical Research Directory

Entire Papilla Preservation and Conventional Flap Surgery in Treating Intrabony Defects: A 6-Month Clinical Trial

Intraosseous defects are characterized by vertical bone loss within the borders of the alveolar bone surrounding the teeth due to periodontal disease and are considered a clinically concerning condition. Treatment of intraosseous defects involves regenerative techniques aimed at reconstructing lost periodontal structures (including bone, cementum and periodontal ligament). In the process of periodontal regeneration, it is of great importance that the blood clot attached to the root surface is protected from mechanical and microbiological factors and remains in a stable biological environment. Post-surgical wound dehiscence can lead to impaired clot stabilization and infection, negatively affecting the healing process and thus jeopardizing the results of the treatment. Regenerative therapies using conventional flap surgery have been reported to provide significant improvements in clinical attachment levels, but carry a high risk of loss of attachment if flap management is inadequate. Furthermore, complications such as difficulty in primary closure, risk of membrane exposure and tissue detachment have been observed with conventional flap techniques. Various minimally invasive flap surgery techniques have been developed to prevent these complications. One of the minimally invasive periodontal flap techniques is the full papillary preservation technique. Unlike traditional methods, this innovative approach provides vertical access to the defect area from the buccal and lingual adjacent areas without any incision in the papillary region. This technique reduces the risk of wound healing failure and exposure of regenerative biomaterials due to the fully preserved interdental papilla over the bony defect. The aim of our study is to compare the short-term (6 months) radiographic and clinical results of the Entire Papilla Preservation (EPP) technique with the Conventional Flap Surgery (CFS) technique.

Efficacy of the Entire Papilla Preservation Technique With and Without the Use of L-PRF as a Regenerative Material for the Treatment of Infrabony Defects

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of using L-PRF (leukocyte and platelet rich fibrin clot) as an autologous filling material in conjunction with the EPP (entire papilla preservation) technique for the treatment of interproximal intraosseous periodontal defects, compared to the same technique without L-PRF regarding clinical periodontal parameters and obtained radiographic parameters. It will also report possible postoperative complications and evaluate postoperative sensitivity. The main questions it aims to answer is: • What is the effectiveness of LPR-F in conjunction with a complete papilla preservation (EPP) technique for the treatment of intrabony periodontal defects in CESA (health care center) patients in terms of clinical and radiographic periodontal parameters compared to the use of the same technique without L-PRF? A non-randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted on patients at CESA of the Universidad de los Andes. In 30 patients, 30 periodontal defects associated with a pocket with probing depths equal to or greater than 6 mm will be treated using the complete papilla preservation technique, either with L-PRF filling or without any filling material, assigned randomly to each intervention (15 participants in each group). Researchers will evaluate clinical and radiographic parameters at baseline and 6 months post-surgery. Patients will report their level of pain 24 hours and 7 days after surgery.