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The goal of this investigation was to evaluate histologically and histometrically the healing process in dehiscence-type defects treated by enamel matrix derivative (EMD). Five adult female beagle dogs were used. Buccal osseous dehiscences were surgically created on the maxillary canines and the second and fourth premolars. Thirty defect sites were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups (15 defect sites for each group). The treatment group received EMD application, while the control groups received no EMD. After 4 months of healing, the dogs were sacrificed and tissue blocks were prepared. Histometric parameters were employed to evaluate the type of periodontal tissues that formed in the defects. All created dehiscence defects in the test sites treated by EMD had formed functional connective tissue fibers inserted into regenerated cellular cementum. The mean amount of apicocoronal regenerated cementum was 3.74 +/- 0.43 mm in EMD- treated sites, whereas the control sites had not formed cementum in the created dehiscence defects (P < .000). Statistically significant differences were found between treatment and control sites. Within the limits of this study, it can be concluded that EMD alone effectively promoted new cementum and functionally oriented connective tissue formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]