While healing showed similar characteristics with bone resorptive and appositional events for both SLActive and SLA surfaces between 7 and 42 days, the degree of osseointegration after 2 and 4 weeks was superior for the SLActive compared with the SLA surface.

Both biomaterials partially preserved the width and the interproximal bone height of the alveolar ridge.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate histologically in humans the healing of advanced intrabony defects following treatment with enamel matrix proteins (EMD) or guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Fourteen patients, each of them displaying 1 advanced intrabony defect around teeth scheduled for extraction were included in the study. The defects were treated randomly either with an enamel matrix protein derivative (Emdogain, BIORA AB, Malmö, Sweden) or with a bioabsorbable membrane (Resolut, Regenerative Material, W.L. Gore & Assoc., Flagstaff, Arizona, USA). At baseline the mean probing pocket depth (PPD) in the EMD group was 11.3 +/- 1.8 mm and the mean clinical attachment level (CAL) 12.1 +/- 2.0 mm, whereas in the GTR group the mean PPD was 11.4 +/- 2.2 mm and the mean CAL 13.3 +/- 2.3 mm. Healing was uneventful in all cases. Neither allergic reactions against EMD or the bioabsorbable membrane, nor suppuration or abscesses were observed. The clinical results revealed at 6 months in the EMD group a mean PPD of 5.6 +/- 1.3 mm and a mean CAL of 9.1 +/- 1.5 mm. In the GTR group the mean PPD was 5.6 +/- 1.3 mm and the mean CAL 10.1 +/- 1.5 mm. The histological analysis showed in the EMD group a mean 2.6 +/- 1.0 mm of new attachment (i.e. new cementum with inserting collagen fibers) and a mean 0.9 +/- 1.0 mm of new bone. In this group, the formation of new attachment was not always followed by bone regeneration. In the GTR group, the mean new attachment was 2.4 +/- 1.0 mm and the mean new bone 2.1 +/- 1.0 mm. In every case treated with GTR, the formation of new attachment was followed by a varying amount of new bone. After both types of regenerative treatment the newly formed cementum displayed a predominantly cellular character. The findings of the present study indicate that the treatment of intrabony defects with enamel matrix proteins or with bioabsorbable membranes enhances the formation of a new connective tissue attachment in humans.

Within the limits of the systematic review there was evidence that the evaluated augmentation techniques result in similar implant survival between augmented and pristine sites. The small number of retrieved studies fulfilling the inclusion criteria limited the conclusions regarding the success of the augmentation and its effect on the survival of the implants. Properly designed randomized controlled clinical trials on this topic are needed.

Meta-analysis showed that plaque accumulation and gingival inflammation scores significantly increased the prevalence of bacteraemia following toothbrushing. However, systematic review showed no relationship between oral hygiene, gingival and periodontal status and the development of B-chewing, and there is no evidence that gingival and periodontal health status affects B-flossing.

It may be concluded that (a) all 3 regenerative treatment modalities may lead to higher CAL gain than the control one, and (b) the combined treatment does not seem to improve the outcome of the regenerative procedure.

There is some evidence that patients treated for periodontitis may experience more implant loss and complications around implants than non-periodontitis patients. Evidence is stronger for implant survival than implant success; methodological issues limit the potential to draw robust conclusions.

The etiology of periodontitis has traditionally been associated to a consortium of three bacterial species—the so-called “red-complex” of periodontal disease—which has been the target for most diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. However, other species have also been found to correlate with disease severity. In addition, the influence of smoking on periodontal microbiota is poorly understood. In the current manuscript, the composition of the subgingival microbiota in healthy individuals vs. patients with chronic periodontitis has been investigated using 16S pyrosequencing and the influence of smoking on periodontal composition has been examined. Subgingival bacterial communities were sampled from 82 patients: 22 non-smoking healthy controls, 28 non-smoking periodontal patients, and 32 smoking periodontal patients. Bacterial diversity was higher in periodontal patients than in healthy subjects, which could be interpreted as the consequence of a nutritionally richer environment or a reduced immune competence. Periodontal patients showed a significantly higher prevalence/relative abundance of “established” periopathogens but also other taxa whose role is not well-established and that should be targets for future research. These include Anaeroglobus, Bulleidia, Desulfobulbus, Filifactor, Mogibacterium, Phocaeicola, Schwartzia or TM7. The microbial community of smoking-associated periodontitis is less diverse and distinct from that of non-smokers, indicating that smoking has an influence on periodontal ecology. Interestingly, the high sequencing coverage allowed the detection at low proportions of periodontal pathogens in all healthy individuals, indicating that chronic periodontitis cannot be strictly considered an infectious disease but the outcome of a polymicrobial dysbiosis, where changes in the proportions of microbial consortia trigger the inflammatory and tissue-degradation responses of the host.