Prognostic factors for alveolar regeneration:: effect of space provision

Objectives: The role of space provision as an independent prognostic factor for periodontal regeneration remains to be established. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of space provision on alveolar bone regeneration in periodontal sites. Methods: Critical size, supra- alveolar, periodontal defects were created in 11 young adult Beagle dogs. Six animals received a porous ePTFE device to provide for space provision. Five animals received sham surgery. The animals were euthanized at 8 weeks post-surgery. A histometric analysis assessed vertical regeneration of alveolar bone and the width of the alveolar crest at the base of the defect. Because of the correlation of within-dog measurements, a mixed model ANOVA/ANCOVA was used to analyse the data. Results: A significant relationship between the width of the alveolar crest at the base of the defect and bone regeneration was observed with no significant difference between sites receiving the different treatments (p=0.84). Bone regeneration at sites treated with the space-providing device was significantly greater compared with that at sites treated with sham surgery (p = 0.0003), and the difference remained significant after adjusting for bone width (p = 0.0001). Conclusions: Space provision has a significant effect on alveolar bone regeneration in periodontal sites. The width of the alveolar bone appears to influence space provision effectively supporting bone regeneration.