The effect of Calcium Sulfate on the periodontal healing of 2-wall intrabony defects in dogs

Abstract

There have been numerous bone graft materials used in periodontics, in an attempt to reach the main goal of periodontal therapy, i.e. the regeneration of periodontal tissue lost due to destructive periodontal diseases. Autogenous bone grafts, with their ability to retain cell viability and a high potential of revascularization as well as low disease transmission, have been widely favored1). However, autogenous bone grafts generally require secondary surgical sites, and have limitations in the amount of grafts that can be procured. A search for the allografts and synthetic bone substitutes that can match the clinical success of autogenous bone grafts without the limitations inherent in the autogenous grafts has been going on for decades. Some of the materials studied include plaster of Paris2, 3), hydroxyapatite4, 5), calcium carbonate6), and decalcified freezedried bone7), to name a few. The hemihydrate of calcium sulfate, also known as plaster of Paris, is prepared by heating gypsum8). When the dry powder is mixed with water, calcium sulfate hardens to form a solid mass of crystals. Initially, medical use of calcium sulfate was limited to a cast which immobilize the injured limb or incorporation in bandages and splints. However, there was a report in 1892 by Dressman as described by Peltier2), where bone cavities were filled with plaster of Paris and later found to be filled with solid bone. Since then, the use of calcium sulfate in animals and in human orthopedic and dental bone defects has been reported in numerous publications. These reports generally agree that the plaster of Paris does not induce inflammatory reaction more than what is present before the grafting8), and the grafted area is histologically normal. A number of animal studies using calcium sulfate suggest that calcium sulfate does not inhibit the osteoblast activities, and may provide conducting matrix for ingrowth of blood vessels and osteogenic cells. However, Shaffer & App3) in 1971 reported that no new bone formation was found in the intrabony defects 대한치주과학회지 : Vol. 27, No. 2, 1997