Influence of Endodontic Treatment in the Post-Surgical Healing of Human Class II Furcation Defects

Background: Treatment of molar furcation defects remains a considerable challenge in clinical practice. The degree of success in the management of furcation involvement is highly variable and related to the baseline clinical status of these defects. The identification of clinical parameters influential to the treatment outcomes is critical to optimize the results of surgical periodontal therapy. The impact of the endodontic treatment (ET) of the tooth on the healing potential of the periodontium is controversial. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical response of buccal Class II furcation defects to open-flap debridement (OFD) and to determine the influence of ET in the clinical outcomes of therapy. Methods: Sixty patients were divided into two treatment groups (n = 30): 1) OFD; and 2) OFD in endodontically treated teeth (OFD + ET). The clinical variables evaluated were plaque (full-mouth plaque score), bleeding on probing, gingival recession, probing depth (PD), and vertical (VAL) and horizontal (HAL) attachment levels. Reevaluation was performed 12 months after the surgical procedures. Results: Both treatments resulted in improvements in all the clinical variables evaluated. Postoperative measurements from OFD-treated and OFD + ET-treated sites showed, respectively, 1.2 +/- 1.2 and 1.3 +/- 1.3 mm reduction in PD, 0.6 +/- 0.8 and 0.7 +/- 0.6 mm VAL gains, and 0.7 +/- 1.1 and 0.8 +/- 1.6 mm HAL gains. No significant differences were found between the groups. Conclusion: The present findings demonstrate that adequate endodontic therapy performed >= 6months before surgical treatment does not significantly influence the clinical parameters of healing of human mandibular buccal Class II furcation defects. J Periodontol 2013;84:51-57.