The effects of bone grafting material and a collagen membrane in the ridge splitting technique: an experimental study...

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of bone graft materials and collagen membranes in ridge splitting procedures with immediate implant placement using a dog model.

Mandibular premolars were extracted in five beagle dogs. After 3 months, ridge splitting and placement of three OsseoSpeed implants were performed bilaterally. The gaps between the implants were allocated according to the following eight treatment modalities; Group 1(no graft), Group 2 (autogenous bone), Group 3 (Bio-Oss Collagen), Group 4 (Bio-Oss), Group 5 (no graft+BioGide), Group 6 (autogenous bone+BioGide), Group 7 (Bio-Oss Collagen+BioGide), and Group 8 (Bio-Oss +BioGide). The dogs were sacrificed after 8 or 12 weeks and the specimens were analyzed histologically and histometrically.

The gaps between the implants were filled with the newly formed bone, irrespective of which of the eight grafting techniques was used. Group 1 revealed a significantly lower percentage of bone-to-implant contact (BIC) than Group 5 at 8 and 12 weeks (P<0.05). Group 1 showed the most prominent marginal bone loss (MBL) at 12 weeks (P<0.05). Regarding the use of membranes, Groups 1 and 2 showed significantly more MBL than Groups 5 and 6 at 12 weeks (P<0.05).

After ridge splitting, if the gaps between implants were grafted or covered with collagen membranes, a higher percentage of BIC was obtained. Based on our results, we suggest that the use of bone graft materials and/or collagen membranes is better for the prevention of MBL after ridge splitting procedures.