RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Use of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) when dealing with non-contained defects may be limited because EMD does not maintain a space itself. Use of combined therapy has been proposed, using a bone graft in combination with EMD to avoid collapse of the flap into the bony defect during healing time. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiologic healing response of non-contained infrabony defects after treatment with a combination of EMD and biphasic calcium phosphate (BC) or EMD alone. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with at least one infrabony defect ≥3 mm in depth with a probing depth (PD) ≥6 mm were randomly treated with EMD/BC or EMD alone. Clinical and radiographic parameters were evaluated at baseline, 6, and 12 months after surgery. To standardize the procedure, an acrylic stent and millimeter radiographic grid were used. The primary outcome was the change in clinical attachment level (CAL). RESULTS: Analysis of the data demonstrated a statistically significant difference from baseline within each group (P <0.05), with a difference in clinical and radiographic parameters at 6 and 12 months. After 1 year, mean PD reductions of 3.14 ± 1.95 mm (39.6%) in the EMD/BC group and 3.30 ± 1.89 mm (48.7%) in the EMD group were achieved. A mean CAL gain of 2.38 ± 2.17 mm (24.9%) in the EMD/BC group and 2.65 ± 2.18 mm (36.2%) in the EMD group were obtained. Reduction in the infrabony component was 2.71 ± 1.79 mm (57.9%) in the test group and 2.60 ± 2.03 mm (28.5%) in the control group. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that treatment of non-contained infrabony defects with EMD, with or without BC, resulted in statistically significantly better results after 12 months compared with baseline measurements. In contrast, the combined approach did not result in a statistically significant improvement.