Biodegradable dressing material used in guided tissue regeneration of periodontal tissues: A case report

Gelfoam biodegradable mesh was used in the surgical treatmen of an infrabony defect in a 30-year-old patient. A similar defect in the same patient was treated in the same way, but the mesh was not placed. The soft tissue of the site that received the mesh healed faster, with regeneration of normal anatomy and keratinized epithelium, minimal soft tissue recession, and reduced postoperative crevice depths. The simple clinical placement technqiue and the complete resorption of the material, which obviates the need for a secondary surgical procedure for removal of the material, are advantages over the currently used nondegradable materials. Further work is required to establish whether this material has the potential to be used routinely in surgical regeneration procedures.