Dimensional changes of the alveolar ridge contour after different socket preservation techniques

Area of Science:

• Dental surgery
• Periodontology
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Tooth extraction often leads to significant alveolar ridge dimensional changes.
• Socket preservation aims to minimize post-extraction bone and soft tissue volume loss.
• Accurate assessment of contour changes is crucial for predictable treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of different socket preservation techniques in mitigating contour changes after tooth extraction.
• To compare the dimensional stability of extraction sockets treated with BioOss Collagen, soft tissue grafts, or no treatment.

Main Methods:

• Extraction of mandibular premolars in beagle dogs.
• Randomized assignment of four treatment groups: BioOss Collagen, BioOss Collagen with a soft tissue graft, no treatment, and an experimental membrane technique.
• Bucco-lingual measurements using digital imaging analysis at baseline, 2, and 4 months post-surgery.

Main Results:

• All groups exhibited buccal contour shrinkage.
• Socket preservation with BioOss Collagen (Tx 1) and BioOss Collagen plus a soft tissue graft (Tx 2) demonstrated statistically significant reduction in buccal contour shrinkage compared to the control group (Tx 3).
• The experimental membrane technique (Tx 4) yielded inconclusive results due to measurement issues.

Conclusions:

• Socket preservation techniques, including BioOss Collagen, partially mitigate post-extraction contour changes but do not completely prevent them.
• BioOss Collagen appears to offer a beneficial effect in limiting buccal contour shrinkage.
• Further investigation into advanced techniques like the experimental membrane is warranted.