Barrier Membranes used in Guided Tissue Regeneration - Advantages and Disadvantages

Guided tissue regeneration is defined as a principle of regeneration that uses a barrier membrane to eliminate the possibility of the growth of a particular type of unwanted, fast-growing tissue in the area of the defect and to allow it to be colonized by particular types of cells that have the potential to regenerate the desired slow-growing tissues. Barrier membranes are resorbable and non-resorbable. Non-resorbable ones used in practice are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and titanium membranes. The resorbable barrier mambranes are collagen-based and synthetic, the synthetic ones being polylactide, polyglactic (lactic and glycolic acid copolymer) and polyethylene glycol.