Porcine-derived soft block bone substitutes for the treatment of severe class II furcation-involved mandibular molars: a prospective controlled follow-up study

Purpose: No evidence exists regarding the advantages of periodontal regeneration treatment for furcation defects using soft block bone substitutes. Therefore, this randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the clinical and radiographic outcomes of regenerative therapy using porcine-derived soft block bone substitutes (DPBM-C, test group) compared with porcine-derived particulate bone substitutes (DPBM, control group) for the treatment of severe class II furcation defects in the mandibular molar regions. Methods: Thirty-five enrolled patients (test group, n=17; control group, n=18) were available for a 12-month follow-up assessment. Clinical (probing pocket depth [PPD] and clinical attachment level [CAL]) and radiographic (vertical furcation defect; VFD) parameters were evaluated at baseline and 6 and 12 months after regenerative treatment. Early postoperative discomfort (severity and duration of pain and swelling) and wound healing outcomes (dehiscence, suppuration, abscess formation, and swelling) were also assessed 2 weeks after surgery. Results: For both treatment modalities, significant improvements in PPD, CAL, and VFD were found in the test group (PPD reduction of 4.1±3.0 mm, CAL gain of 4.4±2.9 mm, and VFD reduction of 4.1±2.5 mm) and control group (PPD reduction of 2.7±2.0 mm, CAL gain of 2.0±2.8 mm, and VFD reduction of 2.4±2.5 mm) 12 months after the regenerative treatment of furcation defects (P<0.05). However, no statistically significant differences were found in any of the measured clinical and radiographic parameters, and no significant differences were observed in any early postoperative discomfort and wound healing outcomes between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Similar to DPBM, DPBM-C showed favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes for periodontal regeneration of severe class II furcation defects in a 12-month follow-up period.