title: In vivo degradation of collagen barrier membranes exposed to the oral cavity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this human clinical trial was to compare the degradation profiles of three different collagen membranes under conditions mimicking exposure to the oral cavity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three collagen membranes, ribose cross-linked (RCL), glutaraldehyde cross-linked (GCL), and non-cross-linked (NCL) were tested. The membranes were placed over the buccal mucosa of 20 human volunteers, apical to the gingival margins in the maxillary premolar and molar region. A periodontal dressing was placed over the membranes and secured in the interproximal spaces. The dressing was removed after 10 days, and membrane integrity was evaluated by two examiners using a Likert-like grading scale (grades 1-5).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight subjects withdrew from the study due to discomfort, pain, or dislodging of the pack. Of the three membranes tested, RCL appeared to be the most resistant to degradation (median grade 5), compared with GCL (2.25) and NCL (1.75).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Marked differences in membrane integrity were found between the three tested membranes after 10 days in the oral cavity. These differences may be part of the important factors determining the outcome of the regenerative treatment modality in cases of premature membrane exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hadassah and Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Avigdor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klinger
authors.forename: Rawi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Asad
authors.forename: Lior
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shapira
authors.forename: Yuval
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zubery
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001458:Bandages; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D003094:Collagen