Ridge preservation surgery after single and multiple adjacent tooth extractions: a microcomputed tomography study in...

Area of Science:

• Dental surgery
• Periodontology
• Bone regeneration

Background:

• Tooth extractions often lead to significant dimensional changes in the alveolar ridge.
• Maintaining ridge integrity is crucial for successful dental implant placement and esthetics.
• Ridge preservation surgery aims to mitigate bone loss following tooth removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the dimensional changes of the edentulous ridge after ridge preservation surgery.
• To compare outcomes following single versus multiple adjacent tooth extractions.
• To assess the efficacy of ridge preservation prior to dental implant placement.

Main Methods:

• Nineteen extraction sites in four dogs were divided into single, two, or three adjacent premolar extraction groups.
• Ridge preservation was performed using a xenograft and collagen membrane with full-thickness flaps.
• Alveolar bone dimensions were measured using microcomputed tomography after 4 months.

Main Results:

• Post-surgery ridge width was comparable across all groups (4.79–4.98 mm).
• Vertical bone height from the cementoenamel junction to the ridge crest averaged 1.94–2.60 mm.
• No statistically significant differences in bone remodeling were observed between single and multiple extraction sites.

Conclusions:

• Ridge preservation surgery demonstrates a consistent pattern of bone remodeling.
• The technique is effective in preserving both horizontal and vertical ridge dimensions.
• Outcomes are similar regardless of whether single or multiple adjacent teeth were extracted.