Treatment of intrabony defects by polylactic acid matrix barrier--a one-year follow-up study.

The present investigation was conducted to evaluate the effect of a polylactic acid-citric acid softened membrane barrier during guided tissue regeneration (GTR) surgery on human intrabony defects. Eighteen patients were treated in the study and 16 patients completed the 1-year follow-up. In all, 27 intrabony defects were treated and clinical soft tissue measurements, including probing depth (PD), probing attachment level (PAL), and recession, were recorded. Results of the investigation demonstrated a significant reduction in PD (3.7 mm), a significant gain in PAL (4.2 mm), and a slight increase in recession (1.2 mm).