A LATEX MEMBRANE, AS AN ALTERNATIVE DEVICE IN THE GTR TECHNIQUE - PRELIMINARY-REPORT ON ITS BIOCOMPATIBILITY

Polymeric materials are of widespread use for many clinical applications, including dentistry. Periodontal guided tissue regeneration (GTR) is a technique developed to treat periodontal disease: it implies that new connective tissue attachment and bone regeneration are achieved, whereas epithelial migration is prevented by the placement of a barrier membrane. This study has focused on the toxicity in vitro of different polymeric membranes, either commercial or experimental, with a latex rubber membrane being of special interest for use as an implant material in guided tissue regeneration in periodontology. A cell culture system tested by quantitative assay methods offered a reliable tool which provided meaningful results on the first level biocompatibility of such membranes.