At present, guided bone regeneration is predominantly applied in the oral cavity to support new hard tissue growth on an alveolar ridge to allow stable placement of dental implants.
The selective ingrowth of bone-forming cells into a bone defect region could be improved if the adjacent tissue is kept away with a membrane; this was confirmed in a study by Kostopoulos and Karring in 1994.
[6] The first application of barrier membranes in the mouth occurred in 1982[7][8][9] in the context of regeneration of periodontal tissues via GTR, as an alternative to resective surgical procedures to reduce pocket depths.
In patients with systemic problems interdisciplinary collaboration is indicated to adjust therapy background so that it does not adversely affect implanto-prosthetic treatment.
[13] Current treatments for destructive periodontal disease are not able to restore damaged bone and connective tissue support for teeth (infra-bony defects).
[15] A study used e-PTFE membranes to cover surgically constructed average size bone defects in the mandibular angles of rats.
E.g. Emdogain which has been shown to significantly improve probing attachment levels (1.1mm) and periodontal pocket depth reduction (0.9mm) when compared to a placebo or control materials.
[19] Success depends on several factors: osteoblasts being present at the site, a sufficient blood supply, stabilisation of the graft during healing, and soft tissue not being under tension.