Abstract
This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to evaluate the long‐term clinical outcomes of regenerative procedures compared with access flap surgery for the treatment of intrabony defects, with a minimum follow‐up period of 5 years. A systematic review protocol following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Both electronic and manual searches were conducted to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on regenerative treatment of deep intrabony defects (≥3 mm) with a follow‐up of at least 5 years. Primary outcome variables were probing depth (PD) reduction, clinical attachment level (CAL) gain, recession depth (REC) and tooth loss. Meta‐analyses and meta‐regressions were performed using random‐effects models. Seventeen RCTs published from 2004 to 2022, accounting for 501 defects, with follow‐ups ranging from 5 to 20 years, were included.