Association between defect morphology and healing of intrabony defects treated with minimally invasive non‐surgical therapy: A pilot exploratory analysis of two cohorts

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the associations between defect morphology (defined by clinical and radiographic parameters) and the healing of periodontal intrabony defects treated with minimally invasive non‐surgical therapy (MINST).Background DataMINST has shown to result in favorable clinical and radiographic improvements in intrabony defects. However, it is not clear which types of intrabony defects are most suitable for this treatment.MethodsClinical and radiographic analyses were carried out in a total of 71 intrabony defects treated with MINST belonging to two previously published studies. Baseline defect characteristics were analyzed and related to clinical and radiographic outcomes at 12 months post‐MINST with or without adjunctive enamel matrix derivative.ResultsNo associations were detected between defect depth, angle and predicted number of walls and clinical and radiographic healing 12 months post‐MINST.ConclusionsNo evidence emerged for associations between defect characteristics and healing following MINST. These data seem to suggest that factors other than defect morphology may influence treatment response to MINST.