Alveolar Ridge Preservation Using Allografts and Dense Polytetrafluoroethylene Membranes With Open Membrane Technique...

We evaluated the effectiveness of the open membrane technique using a high-density polytetrafluoroethylene (dPTFE) membrane with freeze-dried bone allografts in damaged sockets for alveolar ridge preservation (ARP). This retrospective study included 26 sites from 20 patients who had received ARP for the placement of dental implants. ARP was conducted using dPTFE membrane with allografts on the day of extraction without primary closure. When the membrane was removed after 4 weeks, the newly formed reddish tissue at the grafted site was checked (first outcome, clinical evaluation). Four months after membrane removal, a core biopsy was performed from the center of the grafted site before implant placement (second outcome, histomorphometric evaluation). Radiographic measurements of alveolar bone changes between implant prosthesis delivery and the 1-year follow-up were obtained (third outcome, radiographic evaluation). A total of 23 sites from 18 patients had no complications during the follow-up period. Three sites from two patients were excluded because of early membrane removal. Newly formed reddish tissue was found at 15 sites, and partially formed tissue was found at 8 sites. Although we were unable to harvest bone core from all sites, histomorphometric analysis in 11 patients indicated that the mean area of new bone was 28.48% ± 6.60%, that of the remaining graft particle was 27.68% ± 9.18%, and that of fibrous tissue was 43.84% ± 6.98%. The mean loss of marginal bone was 0.13 ± 0.06 mm at the mesial area and 0.15 ± 0.06 mm at the distal area, as assessed using radiographic evaluations. The results of this nonrandomized study suggest that this technique may be an appropriate procedure for ARP. Further studies with a control group and more subjectives can be designed based on this study.