Amnion-Chorion Allograft Barrier Used for Guided Tissue Regeneration Treatment of Periodontal Intrabony Defects: A Retrospective Observational Report

Introduction: Combination guided tissue regeneration ( GTR) for the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects has been an accepted treatment modality for nearly 30 years and has undergone a number of changes during this time, including the use of multiple different barrier membrane materials. Amnion-chorion membrane ( ACM) is a placental-derived tissue that has been used in medicine for > 100 years and recently introduced for combination GTR use in dentistry. This retrospective observational report documents use of ACM for combination GTR treatment of periodontal intrabony defects with a minimum of 12-month post-surgical observation. Case Series: Review of the practice's electronic database revealed that 114 patients were treated with GTR therapy from March 2010 to October 2011. Of these patients, 64 were treated with ACM combination GTR therapy and had >= 12 months of follow-up. All patients were diagnosed with localized moderate-to-severe chronic periodontitis and exhibited radiographic evidence of >= 1 vertical osseous defect. All patients were treated by thorough degranulation of intrabony periodontal defects and placement of bone allograft covered by ACM. Clinical measurements 12 months after surgery revealed an average probing depth reduction of 5.06 +/- 1.37 mm and clinical attachment level improvement of 4.61 +/- 1.29 mm. Conclusion: The results of this retrospective observational report are promising and warrant additional controlled, long-term studies to further evaluate the effectiveness of ACM for combination GTR treatment of periodontal intrabony defects.