Biodegradable occlusive membranes for oral and periodontal surgery

Occlusive membranes are used in oral and periodontal surgery to pre- vent the ingrowth of soft tissue into areas where slowly regenerating tissues, like alveolar bone and periodontal tissue, need time and space for an adequate regeneration. We developed four types of biodegrad- able occlusive membranes by electrospinning solutions of polycaprolac- tone incorporating different percentages of HAp in relation to PCL: 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% HAp. The membranes were characterized regard- ing their morphology, mechanical properties, hydrophilicity, degrada- tion rate, bioactivity, cytotoxicity and cellular adhesion. Tensile tests revealed that the incorporation of HAp weakens the membrane but does not compromise nor its mechanical properties nor its integrity for the intended purpose. Contact angle measurements revealed the effec- tiveness of the treatment with NaOH in rendering the membranes hydrophilic. The membranes showed no evidence of degradation up to 4 weeks in a medium that mimics the oral environment. Simulated body fluid immersion tests confirmed that the presence of HAp improves the bioactivity of the membrane, favoring apatite formation. Cytotoxicity and cellular adhesion tests with SaOs-2 cells revealed no cytotoxicity and greater relative cell viability compared to the control, proving the ability of these membranes to interact with the biological environment and protect and aid the regeneration of bone and peri- odontal tissue. Ó