Many oral and maxillofacial bone defects are not self-healing. Guided bone regeneration (GBR), which uses a barrier membrane to prevent the soft tissues from invading the defect to enable slower-growing bone cells to penetrate the area, was developed as a therapy in the 1980s. Although there has been some success with GBR in some clinical situations, better treatments are needed. This review discusses the concept of GBR focusing on bioactive membranes that incorporate osteoconductive materials, growth factors and cells for improved oral and maxillofacial bone regeneration.