Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Calvarial Model of Bone Augmentation in Rabbit for Assessment of Bone Growth and Neovascularization in Bone Substitution Materials
Published on: August 13, 2019
Long-term follow-up of simultaneous guided bone regeneration using native and cross-linked collagen membranes over
Frank Schwarz1, Andrea Hegewald, Narja Sahm
1Department of Oral Surgery, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Objectives:
To investigate the impact of a cross-linked- (VN) collagen membrane on the long-term stability of peri-implant health over 6 years.
Material And Methods:
Vestibular dehiscence-type defects at titanium implants (19 patients, 19 implants) were augmented using a natural bone mineral and randomly allocated to either VN or a native collagen membrane (CM) and left to heal in a submerged position for 4 months. Clinical parameters (i.e. Bleeding on Probing-BOP, probing pocket depth-PD, mucosal recession-MR) were recorded at 4 and 6 years after prosthesis installation.
Results:
At 4 and 6 years, both VN and CM revealed comparable mean BOP, PD and MR values at both vestibular and oral aspects. Changes in these parameters from 4 to 6 years were minimal (vestibular aspect-VN: -3.3 ± 48.2%, -0.1 ± 0.5 mm, -0.1 ± 0.3 mm; CM: -1.8 ± 33.7%, 0.0 ± 0.4 mm, -0.1 ± 0.7 mm) and not significantly different between groups. At 6 years, the incidence of mucositis and peri-implantitis was comparable in both groups (VN: 60.0% and 20.0%; CM: 33.3% and 33.3%).
Conclusion:
In conclusion, the present follow-up observation failed to identify any beneficial impact of VN over CM on peri-implant health at 4 and 6 years.
