Furcation Defects

Furcation involvement (FI) refers to a condition in which the progression of the periodontal disease process invades the bifurcation and trifurcation of multirooted teeth. Furcation involvement, present a clinical challenge due to its anatomic complexity and reduced access for adequate plaque control which may leads to further periodontal breakdown. Consequently, maintenance of adequate oral hygiene is critical in these sites. It has been shown that poor oral hygiene, together with the persistence of periodontal risk factors, leads to further disease progression, treatment failure, and disease recurrence. Mobile health can serve as a valuable adjunctive approach by aiding in behavioral reinforcement through real-time reminders. With widespread mobile phone usage in India, mHealth interventions are feasible. The role of mHealth in management of furcation involved sites has still not been explored. Therefore, this randomized controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of mobile health reinforcements in improving plaque control efficacy at in furcation involved sites following non-surgical periodontal therapy, with the potential to enhance patient compliance and prevent further disease progression and disease recurrence.

Patients diagnosed with stage III or IV periodontitis who exhibit mandibular first or second molars with Class II, Subclass A, or B buccal and/or lingual mandibular furcation defects (horizontal probing depth of ≥ 3 mm ) will be recruited. Patients diagnosed with stage III or IV periodontitis who exhibit maxillary first or second molars with Class II, Subclass A, or B buccal furcation defects (horizontal probing depth of ≥ 3 mm ) if furcation involvement on the palatal side (mesiopalatal and distopalatal) does not exceed Class 1 will be recruited. This study will be a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial with a split-mouth design. Patients will be recruited from the clinics of the Riga Stradiņš University Institute of Stomatology of Riga, Latvia. Before the baseline treatment, all patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be given detailed oral hygiene instructions and motivation. Patients' furcation defects in each quadrant will be randomly allocated at a 1:1 ratio to either the application of Oscillating Chitosan Brush with Enamel Matrix Derivatives (test group) or Oscillating Chitosan Brush alone (control group). Non-surgical periodontal treatment of furcation defects on the test side will be performed through the application of Oscillating Chitosan Brush with Enamel Matrix Derivatives and on the control side with Oscillating Chitosan Brush alone. The re-evaluation of periodontal status will be performed 12 weeks following the baseline treatment. Biofilm samples and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples will be taken at the baseline and at 4 weeks.

The aim of this randomized clinical trial is to evaluate the potential benefit of the use of a bone substitute material in the treatment of furcation degree II-involved molars. The main question it aims to answer is: What is the benefit of the adjunctive use of a bone substitute material in the surgical treatment of furcation degree II-involved molars when compared to open-flap debridement alone? 200 patients with ≥1 molar presenting with a furcation defect degree II will be included and randomized to either control (open-flap debridement) or test treatment (open-flap debridement + bone substitute material). The primary outcome of the study is furcation closure defined as absence of clinically detectable furcation involvement degree \>I. Secondary outcomes include changes in bleeding on probing, probing depth, vertical and horizontal attachment levels, soft tissue level, marginal bone level, need for surgical retreatment, tooth loss, patient-reported outcomes and adverse events. A composite outcome based on furcation closure (degree ≤I) in combination with shallow probing depth (≤5 mm) and absence of bleeding on probing will also be evaluated.