Membranes for periodontal tissues regeneration

The complexity of the tissues and the healing process of the periodontal wound turn the development of therapies for the predictable regeneration of functional periodontal tissues, a challenging exercise. In the last decades, the guided tissue regeneration (GTR) emerged as a strategy to drive the innate regenerative properties of the tissues involved in the periodontal apparatus (gingiva, tooth root, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone). GTR therapies have shown that the use of membrane barriers that are occlusive for gingival cell migration and that provide wound stability and space provision for the first intentional repair promoted by cells originated from periodontal tissues can partially restore the primitive anatomy and function of the periodontium. This paper describes examples of the variety of non-degradable and degradable membrane barriers developed for GTR approaches. During the last 20 years, the research has evolved to develop GTR barriers that avoid the recurrent problems related with the early membrane exposure and the recurrent infections. Furthermore, the association of the GTR to tissue engineering principles, such as the inclusion of biochemical cues and new architectures as well as the association with stem cells of different niches, has given rise to new materials with improved properties and biological performance. © 2014 Portuguese Society of Materials (SPM). Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.