A comparison of Er,Cr:YSGG laser to minimally invasive surgical technique in the treatment of intrabony defects: Twelve-month results of a multicenter, randomized, controlled study.

Background: The purpose of this publication is to report on the 12-month clinical and radiographic results comparing the surgical use of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser (ERL) and minimally invasive surgical technique (MIST) for the treatment of intrabony defects in subjects with generalized periodontitis stage III, grade B.

Methods: Fifty-three adult subjects (29 females and 24 males; 19-73 years) with 79 intrabony defects were randomized following scaling and root planing (SRP) to receive ERL monotherapy (n = 27) or MIST (n = 26). Fifty subjects completed the study.

Antibiotic prescription patterns among US general dentists and periodontists.

Background: In the absence of a full spectrum of evidence-based guidelines for the appropriate use of antimicrobial agents, dentists, including periodontists, remain a highly frequent antibiotic prescribing group. With the goal of understanding antibiotic prescribing practices, the authors surveyed a convenience sample of dental practitioners and periodontists to identify differences between the 2 cohorts and assess the factors that affect prescribing practices.

Methods: An institutional review board-approved 15-item survey was developed to capture antibiotic prescribing practices addressing the main research question, factors affecting systemic antibiotic prescription patterns, and prescription timing.

The effect of bone particle size on the histomorphometric and clinical outcomes following lateral ridge augmentation procedures: A randomized double-blinded controlled trial.

Background: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to clinically and histologically compare the amount and quality of bone gained after lateral ridge augmentation (LRA) procedures performed using small-particle (SP)-size (250-1000 μm) versus large-particle (LP)-size (1000-2000 μm) size corticocancellous bone allografts at 6 months following surgical intervention.

Methods: Twenty-two patients, each presenting with ridge width <5 mm were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to SP- and LP-size graft.

The Effect of Dental Implant Collar Design on Crestal Bone Loss at 1 Year After Implant Placement.

The aim of this randomized, prospective study was to compare clinical and radiographic outcomes of microtextured implants with two different collar designs at 1 year postplacement. A total of 69 implants were assessed in 58 patients for site, patient-specific, and clinician-experience variables. Overall implant survival was 94.

Clinical assessment of bone quality of human extraction sockets after conversion with growth factors.

Purpose: The study was conducted to evaluate the effect of mineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (FDBA), alone or in combination with growth factors in extraction sockets, on subjective assessment of bone quality during implant placement.

Materials And Methods: Forty-one patients whose treatment plan involved extraction of anterior or premolar teeth were randomized into four groups: Group 1, collagen plug (control); Group 2, FDBA/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP)/collagen plug; Group 3, FDBA/β-TCP/platelet-rich plasma (PRP)/collagen plug; Group 4, FDBA/β-TCP/recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor BB (rhPDGF-BB)/collagen plug. After 8 weeks of healing, implants were placed.

Using growth factors in human extraction sockets: a histologic and histomorphometric evaluation of short-term healing.

Purpose: Ridge preservation protocols reduce crestal remodeling after tooth extraction. There is insufficient evidence on bone grafting in combination with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor (rhPDGF-BB). The aim of this study is to evaluate healing of grafted and nongrafted sockets and the effect of PRP and rhPDGF-BB on early remodeling.

Efficacy of micronized acellular dermal graft for use in interproximal papillae regeneration.

The aim of this study was to evaluate interdental papillary reconstruction based on a micronized acellular dermal matrix allograft technique. Thirty-eight papillae in 12 patients with esthetic complaints of insufficient papillae were evaluated. Decreased gingival recession values were found postoperatively (P < .

A prospective, randomized, controlled comparison of platform-switched and matched-abutment implants in short-span partial denture situations.

Recent observations suggest that less bone loss may result from placing a more medialized abutment on an implant (platform switching). The objective of this study was to measure the radiographic crestal bone loss and biologic width around conventional and platform-switched implants. Implants were randomly assigned into conventional or switched categories within the same prosthesis.

Periodontal health of older men: the MrOS dental study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of periodontitis in men of 65+ years and identify demographic and lifestyle factors associated with its presence.

Methods: Participants were recruited from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, a longitudinal study of risk factors for fractures in older men. Dental measures included clinical attachment loss (CAL), pocket depth (PD), calculus, plaque and bleeding on a random half-mouth, plus a questionnaire regarding access to care, symptoms and previous diagnosis.

Initial clinical efficacy of 3-mm implants immediately placed into function in conditions of limited spacing.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine changes in interdental papillae, alveolar bone loss, esthetics, and initial healing survival when 1-piece narrow-diameter implants were immediately loaded in sites with limited tooth-to-tooth spacing.

Materials And Methods: One-piece titanium alloy implants with a maximum diameter of 3.0 mm and a resorbable blast surface texture on a square-thread form were evaluated.

Influence of surface characteristics on survival rates of mini-implants.

Objective: To compare the clinical performance and the survival rate of two mini-implant systems with different surface characteristics under immediate orthodontic loading.

Materials And Methods: Seventeen machined titanium (MT) mini-implants and 15 sandblasted, large grit, acid-etched (SLA) mini-implants were placed in 10 patients. The mini-implants were immediately loaded and the patients seen at 7, 14, 30, 60, and 150 days.

Osteoporosis and periodontal bone loss.

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are characterized by reductions in bone mass, and may lead to skeletal fragility and fracture. Until the advent and widespread use of such methodology to measure bone density, such as dual energy X-ray absorption (DXA), the definition of osteoporosis was usually made using the clinical signs of a fracture. In 1994 the World Health Organization defined osteoporosis as a bone mineral density level more than 2.

Periodontal host modulation with antiproteinase, anti-inflammatory, and bone-sparing agents. A systematic review.

Background: The use of modulating agents, including inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) with antiproteinases, blocking production of proinflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins with anti-inflammatory drugs, and inhibiting activation of osteoclasts with bone-sparing agents, has been postulated to be of therapeutic value as an adjunctive therapy to the management of chronic periodontitis.

Rationale: The objective of this systematic review of the literature was to assess the adjunctive efficacy of antiproteinase, anti-inflammatory, and bone-sparing host-modulating agents in the treatment of gingivitis, aggressive periodontitis, and chronic periodontitis. FOCUSED QUESTIONS: 1.

Periodontal disease and preterm birth: results of a pilot intervention study.

Background: Previous case-control and prospective studies have shown an association between the presence of periodontitis and the risk of preterm birth (PTB). The goal of this pilot trial was to determine the feasibility of conducting a trial to determine whether treatment of periodontitis reduces the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB).

Methods: Three hundred sixty-six (366) women with periodontitis between 21 and 25 weeks' gestation were recruited and randomized to one of three treatment groups with stratification on the following two factors: 1) previous SPTB at <35 weeks and 2) body mass index <19.

Intrapocket anesthesia for scaling and root planing in pain-sensitive patients.

Background: In 2 previous multicenter studies evaluating the efficacy of a novel anesthetic gel (lidocaine 25 mg/g plus prilocaine 25 mg/g), there was a rather small, although statistically significant, overall difference between the active and placebo gels. There were, however, large center variations. At centers where the placebo-treated patients reported high pain scores, the difference between treatments was large, suggesting that the anesthetic gel is most effective in patients who experience the procedure as painful.

A comparison of hydroxyapatite (HA) -coated threaded, HA-coated cylindric, and titanium threaded endosseous dental implants.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the success of hydroxyapatite (HA) -coated and machined titanium (Ti) implants in a 5-year randomized, controlled clinical trial conducted at 2 centers.

Materials And Methods: Each of 120 edentulous patients received HA-coated threaded, HA-coated cylindric, and machined Ti threaded implants in a randomized design using 5 or 6 implants. Digital radiographs allowed for yearly measurements of bone loss.

Efficacy of controlled-release subgingival chlorhexidine to enhance periodontal regeneration.

Background: Periodontal regeneration success may be limited by placing bone grafts and membranes in infected sites. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that adjunctive subgingival administration of chlorhexidine gelatin bioresorbable chips enhances bone gain when used in conjunction with guided tissue regeneration.

Methods: This was a single center, blinded, 2-arm parallel design study of 44 subjects with one or more sites with probing depth and clinical attachment loss > or = 5 mm following initial therapy and radiographic evidence of bone loss.

Influence of implant geometry and surface characteristics on progressive osseointegration.

Purpose: Although no currently available technique for the measurement of osseointegration is entirely satisfactory, 3 clinical variables can be reasonably associated with the process: probing depth, micromobility, and crestal bone height. Micromobility can be quantified to some extent with the use of the Periotest, a commercially available instrument In this investigation, the influence of surface characteristics and geometry upon Periotest value (PTV) and probing depth measurements was studied.

Materials And Methods: In a multicenter trial, 120 healthy edentulous patients received 5 or 6 implants in the anterior mandible and were followed for 3 years.

Mandibular growth following implant restoration: does Wolff's law apply to residual ridge resorption?

This study measured bone height under a fixed detachable cantilever restoration supported by five or six endosseous implants in 60 consecutively treated patients. Panoramic films were made at surgery and 1, 2, 3, and 4 years postrestoration. A computer-enhanced method was used to measure mandibular height 5, 10, 15, and 20 mm distal to the last implant, which was used as a length.