Polymeric Membranes Used for Guided Periodontal Tissue Regeneration: A Review-Part

Periodontitis is one of the most widespread oral and dental diseases which results in damaging the periodontal tissues and finally may lead to healthy teeth losses. Recent surveys show that most adult in USA are suffering from chronic periodontits. In recent years, different methods have been used to reconstruct periodontal defects. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) is a surgical procedure that uses barrier membranes to protect physically the periodontal defect to hinder gingival epithelium and connective tissue cells invasion and promote the proliferation of cells with slow migration rate such as periodontal ligament and bone cells. Generally, the membranes used in GTR are divided into two types: resorbable and non-resorbable. In this review, various GTR membranes based on natural and synthetic polymers are introduced. Natural polymers include polysaccharides and polypeptides and synthetic polymers are usually based on polyesters. Both polymeric membranes have pros and cons. Although natural polymers exhibit appropriate biocompatibility and biodegradability, they usually suffer from inferior mechanical properties. In contrast, membranes based on synthetic polymers have appropriate mechanical strength. However, their biocompatibility is not comparable with natural polymers and their degradation products may lead to foreign body reactions.