Periodontal disease can be defined as the inflammatory condition of the tooth-supportive tissues as a response to biofilm accumulation. The consequence is the formation of severe bone defects due to the loss of periodontal tissues that ultimately lead to tooth loss, predispose to mandible fractures and formation of oronasal communications. The main treatment is prevention, including daily tooth brushing and periodontal prophylaxis, a procedure done by veterinaries to remove retained biofilm and calculus. Recovering lost tissues, i.e. periodontal regeneration, is a more complex process involving the formation of three tissues highly connected: alveolar bone, periodontal ligament and cementum. Therefore, several materials and techniques were and are constantly developed, including membranes for guided tissue regeneration and the application of bone grafts and biomaterials, widely studied in human dentistry and already available for veterinary practice. Additionally, new possibilities rise with the association of these techniques to growth factors and stem cells and the development of multifunctional membranes.
veterinary dentistry; periodontal disease; guided tissue regeneration; multifunctional membranes