Managing the Furcation in Periodontal and Restorative Therapy
Dr. Daniel Melker describes, in great detail, the management of molar furcation involvement in preparation for crown and bridge therapy.

Fibrin Assisted Soft Tissue Promotion (FASTP) - A New Perspective in Periodontal Plastic Surgery
Soft tissue recession around teeth and implants is an epidemic problem in the field of dentistry. A predictable and long-term soft tissue augmentation outcome is primarily dependent on proper diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning. Harvesting limitations of autogenous tissue from the palate represent a true challenge when treating patients with multiple recessions or gingival deformities around teeth and dental implants. The Advanced Platelet Rich Fibrin (APRF) and injectable platelet-rich fibrin (iPRF) are promising tissue promoters that can be a suitable alternative option.

Tissue Engineering and Platelet Derived Growth Factors: Evidence Based Therapy
Platelet derived growth factors are now routinely utilized in reconstructive therapy. This presentation describes very detailed and evidence based guidelines for clinicians interested in enhancing their abilities in tissue engineering, especially as it relates to bone augmentation.

The Socket Shield Technique - Have the Rules of the Game Changed in Aesthetic Zone Implant Therapy?
Implant therapy is in the age of being increasingly aesthetically driven, not merely restorative. With the increasing popularity of immediate implants, particularly with anterior tooth extraction, the relevance of socket changes following extraction has come to the fore. Contrary to what was originally believed, the installation of an immediate implant does not arrest bone loss, and immediate implants in the aesthetic zone are prone to recession of bone and soft tissue as a result of bundle bone resorption which is obligatory with tooth extraction.

Periodontal Clinical Issues
Examination of Different Aspects of Periodontics

Treating the Terminal Dentition: A Patient-Center Approach
In patients with terminal dentition esthetic and functional replacement is a necessary objective, but no longer a sufficient-objective: nowadays, due to the clinical and extra clinical characteristics of these patients, management of the therapy is as important as its conclusion. Respect of the principle of autonomy, reduction of treatment length, simplification of surgical procedures and prosthetic management of implant immediate loading are the cornerstones of this philosophy and are the object of this lecture.

A Decade of the Socket-Shield Technique: A Step-by-Step Partial Extraction Therapy Protocol
Ten years have passed since Hürzeler and coworkers first introduced the socket-shield technique. Much has developed and evolved with regard to partial extraction therapy, a collective concept of utilizing the patient’s own tooth root to preserve the periodontium and peri-implant tissue. The specifications, steps, instrumentation, and procedures discussed in this article are the result of extensive experience in refining the socket-shield technique as we know it today. A repeatable, predictable protocol is requisite to providing tooth replacement in esthetic dentistry. Moreover, a standardized protocol provides a better framework for clinicians to report data relating to the technique with procedural consistency. This article aims to illustrate a reproducible, step-by-step protocol for the socket- shield technique at immediate implant placement and provisionalization for single-rooted teeth.

Periodontal Photo Essay
Dr. Daniel J. Melker presents a Periodontal Photo Essay. Question: Why do we barrel in furcations?

Biologic Width Adjacent to Loaded Implant with Machined and Rough Collars in the Dog
Dental implant surface technology has evolved from a relatively smooth machined implant surface for osseointegration to more roughened osteoconductive surfaces. Recent studies suggest that peri-implant soft tissue inflammation with progressive bone loss (ie peri-implantitis) is becoming a prevalent condition. One possibility that could explain sucha a finding is that more bacterial plaque forms on the roughened implant and abutment surfaces, which may result in the peri-implant inflammation if the soft tissues. This study compared 36 tissue-level implants with a machined transmucosal collar to 36 implants with a relatively roughened transmucosal surface in the dog. The results demonstrated that the connective tissue contact was similar between the two implant types but that the junctional epithelium and biologic width dimensions were greater around the implants with the machined collars...