The effect of antifibrinolytic agents on the healing of modified Widman flaps in monkeys.

In vitro studies have shown that addition of antifibrinolytic agents to culture media containing explants of cat palatal mucosa will change the direction of the epithelial proliferation. Consequently, the epithelial cells migrate in an opposite direction to that expected, reaching the stratum corneum and spreading in the upper surface with the formation of an everted epiboly (Bergenholtz, Gustafson & Hanstrom 1977). This result suggests that it may be possible to change the pathway of migration of the marginal epithelium during wound healing after periodontal flap surgery or at least to postpone epithelial downgrowth until connective tissue cells of the periodontal ligament could repopulate the wound area (Nyman et al. 1982) and thus enhance connective tissue new attachment.