Abstract
The main purpose of periodontal therapy is to maintain natural dentition and functional periodontal apparatus for a lifetime by creating an easy oral environment for patients' oral hygiene. The resective surgical approach and mucogingival surgery (MGS) were major periodontal therapies in periodontics until the 1970's. However, the problems of aesthetics, root sensitivity and root caries resulting from resective therapy for severe periodontitis were eventually pointed out. Also the healing of resective therapy was admitted to be "Repair" not "Regeneration" after evaluations of animal and human studies. Since then, a variety of periodontal tissue regenerative techniques and devices were developed. Guided tissue regeneration (GTR) utilizing the barrier membrane was advocated by S. Nyman et al. as a new treatment approach for periodontal tissue regeneration in the 1980's. In the 1990's, EMD (Emdogain) was developed as the biological regeneration approach and has been utilized for regenerative therapy. EMD seems to mimic the development of the attachment apparatus during nascent tooth development. Alveolar bone formation is induced de novo by EMD and/or triggered by early cementum formation. The regenerative potential of EMD in intrabony defects is at least equal to or better than other "regenerative" therapies based on clinical parameters. Recently, making use of growth factor, such as BMP or PDGF, in periodontal tissue regenerative therapy has been attempted. In particula PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) including various cytokines is in actual clinical use for periodontal regenerative therapy. This presentation concluded by surveying periodontal regenerative therapy from the past to the future in conjunction with my clinical experience.
