Chapter 1

Introduction

Thomas Van Dyke, DDS, PhD

The specialty of periodontics has grown in the past 25 years to encompass a variety of surgical techniques that span the scope of dentistry. The advent of predictable implant placement and numerous new bone augmentation techniques has broadened the repertoire of the periodontist to a point where technical developments through research have impacted other specialties, including orthodontics, endodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and prosthodontics.

In this book, Practical Advanced Periodontal Surgery, Dr. Serge Dibart has assembled a team of experts, mostly from the faculty of Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, who have played a major role in the development of these concepts, in some cases, and their implementation, in all cases. It is arranged into 11 chapters that range from a review of the science leading up to new technologies to their implementation and the evidence backing their veracity. The contribution of periodontal concepts to orthodontics and endodontics is just an example of how modern periodontology adds to the armamentarium of all aspects of the dental profession.

The focus of this book is bone—the biology of bone and how an understanding of the basic principles of biology can be used to enhance treatment. The book begins with a review of bone biology and current understanding of wound healing. This is followed by the introduction to an exciting new area in bone biology that has been translated into effective new methods for orthodontic therapy. Dr. Donald J. Ferguson is a pioneer in this new area of accelerated osteogenic orthodontics, along with the developers of the m/>