Root coverage with connective tissue grafts appears to be negatively associated with cigarette smoking. Smokers should consider smoking cessation or reducing the use of cigarettes for optimal results with connective tissue grafts.

Systemic administration of PTH significantly stimulates local bone formation. Bone formation was significantly limited by the beta-TCP biomaterial.

The HA-TCP macroporous disk may elicit significant new bone formation due to its rigid space-maintaining scaffold and pore size for vascular ingrowth. It is well tolerated by host tissues and may be a suitable carrier for growth factors.

We report an unusual case of external root resorption (ERR) that developed in a 37-year-old black male approximately 1 year following routine partial thickness connective tissue graft surgery. The lesion was accessed via flap surgery, thoroughly root planed, and the mucoperiosteal flap replaced. The site healed uneventfully and the patient has been closely observed for over 1 year without symptoms or recurrence of the resorptive lesion and the affected tooth remained vital. Clinicians performing partial-thickness connective tissue grafts should be alert to the possible occurrence of root resorption over extended periods of time. The authors speculate that retention of the donor periosteum with placement on the recipient dentin and root biomodification may limit the resorptive response following connective tissue graft procedures to treat tooth root recession.

Demineralized freeze-dried bone (DFDB) in matrix form must be rehydrated with a carrier medium which allows for easy manipulation during periodontal surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate how human DFDB suspended in a polyol matrix affects new bone formation in the rat calvarium critical-sized defect (CSD) model. Fifty-five adult male Harlan Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to 1 of 5 treatment groups: polyol, 100% DFDB, 47% DFDB/polyol, 47% DFDB, or an unfilled control. They were then placed into 8-m calvarial CSDs. The bone donor source company for the DFDB and DFDB/polyol groups was the same. Calvaria were harvested 10 weeks after surgery and evaluated histomorphometrically. The diameter of bone particles from the 3 groups containing DFDB was measured by scanning electron microscopy. There was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of bone fill between any of the groups, although the 100% DFDB group exhibited the most bone fill. The 47% DFDB/polyol and 47% DFDB groups had similar amounts of bone formation. The average size of the demineralized bone particles from the 100% DFDB group was significantly smaller than that of the other 2 groups containing DFDB. Adding a polyol to DFDB produced similar osseous regeneration in the rat calvarium defect model vs DFDB alone. Yet from a clinical standpoint, the polyol enhanced graft handling and stability. Graft particle size may have an effect on bone fill.