Cross-linked hyaluronic acid gel with or without a collagen matrix in the treatment of class III furcation defects: A histologic and histomorphometric study in dogs

Abstract

Aim: To histologically evaluate the effects of cross-linked hyaluronic acid (xHyA) with or without a collagen matrix (CM) on periodontal wound healing/regeneration in class III furcation defects in dogs. Materials and Methods: Class III furcation defects were surgically created in the mandibular premolars in six beagle dogs. The defects were randomly treated as follows: open flap debridement (OFD) + CM (CM), OFD + xHyA (xHyA), OFD + xHyA + CM (xHyA/CM) and OFD alone (OFD). At 10 weeks, the animals were euthanized for histological evaluation. Results: The newly formed bone areas in the xHyA (4.04 ± 1.51 mm2) and xHyA/CM (4.32 ± 1.14 mm2) groups were larger than those in the OFD (3.25 ± 0.81 mm2) and CM (3.31 ± 2.26 mm2) groups. The xHyA (6.25 ± 1.45 mm) and xHyA/CM (6.40 ± 1.35 mm) groups yielded statistically significantly (p