Histological evaluation of a biodegradable Polyactive/hydroxyapatite membrane.

Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) is a technique which is used for the treatment of bone defects associated with periodontal disease or enossal dental implants. In most experimental studies on GTR, non-degradable membranes are used. A drawback inherent to such devices is that at the end or in the course of the wound healing they have to be removed. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate a new biodegradable membrane material for use in GTR, which also has excellent mechanical properties and is biocompatible. The material is a composite consisting of poly(ethyleneglycol terephthalate) and poly(butylene terephthalate) segmented copolymer (PEG/PBT), which for the experiments was used in pure form and also mixed with hydroxyapatite (HA) grains. Subcutaneous and subgingival implantation studies in goats were performed to determine the biocompatibility and biodegradability characteristics of several of these materials. Differences between materials were introduced in the production process, PEG/PBT ratio, material thickness and presence of HA. Implantation periods were 3, 6 and 12 wk. The histological results indicated that all investigated materials were biocompatible with the surrounding tissue. Degradation of the membranes was attended by a mild cellular reaction. The degradation process was mainly influenced by the PEG/PBT ratio. A higher PBT content resulted in a decreased degradation.