How predictable are periodontal regenerative procedures?

Periodontal regeneration has become one of the primary objectives of periodontal therapy. The resulting scientific endeavours have elucidated modes of periodontal wound healing, the growth of periodontal cells and their association with the surrounding matrix, and growth-promoting factors. The periodontal regeneration industry is producing better and more expensive devices, but the criteria for evaluating their success have not progressed to the same extent. Although clinical measurements of attachment level and probing depths, along with radiography, are good methods of evaluating tooth survival and prognosis, they do not indicate true biological regeneration. In addition, the regeneration industry may encourage the overuse of allografts and alloplasts which may serve as an impediment to simple wound healing. This review is a critical assessment of the clinical use of various regenerative tools, specifically bone replacements and membranes. The future of the regeneration industry may depend on the merging of various technologies and biological concepts, including the possible use of biological barriers, various bone and periodontal growth inducers, and artificial matrices that will attract or carry the cells necessary for regeneration.