Filippo GRAZIANIProfesseur d’Université en Parodontologie (Pise -Italie)
Professeur Détaché à l’UCL de Londres
Professeur Honoraire à la Faculté Dentaire de Hong Kong
Exercice privé en Parodontologie exclusive
Past President de EFP
“One day of furcation lesions: from diagnosis to treatment”
Molars are certainly the most frequently periodontally involved teeth. The degree of impairment is often linked to the involvement of furcations present in these teeth, which are characterized by a loss of attachment and bone resorption in the inter-radicular space.
The presence of furcation involvement is a negative prognostic element for long-term dental survival and therefore one of the objectives of periodontal treatment is their management.
The treatment of furcation defects is considered one of the major challenges of periodontal therapy. This is mainly due to the complexity and the anatomical irregularities of the furcations: in fact, there is a much larger root surface, compared to the single-rooted teeth, which can be potentially colonized and contaminated by bacteria, bacterial toxins. Furthermore, the distal position of the molars makes the furcation area difficult to access for both home and professional oral hygiene maneuvers. This results in an inferior plaque control and consequently in a reduction of the effect of the periodontal therapy, especially in terms of predictability.
The principles on which furcation treatment is based basically consist of a conservative, resective and regenerative approach.
The importance of furcation treatment will be highlighted, because teeth with these defects must NOT be extracted. The treatment is effective and is based on some surgical and non-surgical procedures that will be discussed in the light of the recommendations of the European Federation of Periodontology.
