Effect of Coenzyme Q10 on early wound healing after recession coverage surgery with the modified coronally advanced tunnel technique and a connective tissue graft: A 6-month, triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

OBJECTIVES: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) or ubiquinone is one of a cell's most important electron carriers during oxidative phosphorylation and many other cellular processes. As a strong anti-oxidant with further anti-inflammatory effects CoQ10 is of potential therapeutical value. The aim of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to investigate the effect of topical CoQ10 on early wound healing after recession coverage surgery using the modified coronally advanced tunnel (MCAT) and palatal connective tissue graft (CTG). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with buccal gingival recessions were evaluated after being randomly allocated to: 1) MCAT and CTG with topical application of a coenzyme Q10 spray for 21 days or 2) MCAT and CTG with placebo spray. Wound healing was evaluated by the early wound healing index (EHI). Patient-reported pain was analyzed by a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) at day 2, 7, 14 and 21 post-surgically. Mean recession coverage, gain of keratinized tissue and esthetic outcomes were assessed at 6 months. RESULTS: EHI and pain scores showed no significant differences. Time to recovery defined as VAS<10 mm was shorter in the test group. Mean root coverage after 6 months was 84.62 ± 26.57% and 72.19 ± 26.30% for test and placebo, p=0.052. Complete root coverage was obtained in 9 (60%) test and in 2 (13.3%) placebo patients. Increase in keratinized tissue width and esthetical outcomes were similar for both groups. CONCLUSION: CoQ10 had no significant effect on early wound healing and on mean root coverage after 6 months. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Early wound healing: in young healthy patients with no inflammatory oral conditions topical CoQ10 does not improve early healing.

Long-term clinical outcomes of periodontal regeneration with enamel matrix derivative: A retrospective cohort study with a mean follow-up of 10 years.

BACKGROUND: Despite the large body of evidence on the efficacy of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) in the treatment of periodontal intrabony defects, few studies reported long-term data (≥10-year). METHODS: Periodontal patients treated with regenerative surgery with EMD between 1999 and 2012 were invited to participate in a clinical examination. The following clinical parameters were recorded and compared at baseline (T0), 6 months after surgery (T1) and after at least 8 years of follow-up (T2): probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque and bleeding scores. The primary outcome variable was CAL change. RESULTS: Forty-one patients with 75 treated teeth were available for analysis. Out of these, 68 (tooth survival rate: 90.7%) reached the latest follow-up with a mean observation period of 10.3 years (range: 8.0 to 21.3). The most frequent reason for tooth loss was recurrence of periodontal disease. Tooth survival curves showed a statistically significant difference between smokers and non-smokers (P = 0.028). Mean CAL changed from 8.43 ± 1.86 (T0) to 6.47 ± 1.70 (T1) (P < 0.001) and to 5.91 ± 1.83 (T2) (P < 0.001). At T1, a CAL gain of ≥3 mm was measured in 35% of the defects whereas at T2 it was detected in 51% of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Within their limitations, the present results have shown that in intrabony defects, the clinical improvements obtained following regenerative surgery with EMD can be maintained on a mean period of 10 years. Smoking status and maxillary molars were correlated with an increased risk for tooth and CAL loss, respectively.

Evaluation of the implant disease risk assessment (IDRA) tool: A retrospective study in patients with treated periodontitis and implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs).

AIM: To evaluate the Implant Disease Risk Assessment (IDRA) tool for the prediction of peri-implantitis in treated periodontitis patients with implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) after at least 5 years of function. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From the patient pool of implant patients enrolled in a regular supportive periodontal therapy programme (SPT) for at least 5 years, 239 patients were screened. Eighty patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent evaluation through the criteria of the IDRA tool. Areas under the curve (AUCs) for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves including 95% confidence intervals were estimated. RESULTS: Seventy-nine patients (43 males and 36 females, 8 smokers), aged on average 59.0 years (range: 40-79 years) at baseline (i.e. FDP delivery) were analysed. The calculated IDRA-risk was in 34 patients (42.5%) a moderate risk, while 45 patients (56.3%) were considered at high IDRA-risk. One patient categorized at low IDRA-risk was excluded from the analysis. The AUC was 0.613 (95% CI: 0.464-0.762) if the IDRA-risk was associated with prevalence of peri-implantitis at the most recent follow-up. Peri-implantitis was diagnosed in 4 patients (12%) at moderate and in 12 patients (27%) at high IDRA-risk, respectively. The calculated odds ratio for developing peri-implantitis in patients with high IDRA-risk compared with patients with moderate IDRA-risk was 2.727 with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (95% CI: 0.793-9.376). CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of the present retrospective study, the IDRA algorithm might represent a promising tool to assess patients at moderate or high risk of developing peri-implantitis.