Effect of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1α on Early Healing in Extraction Sockets

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1A) on the early healing (4 weeks) of extraction sockets exhibiting partial loss of the labial bone. Two extraction sockets of the maxillary incisors from each of six dogs were assigned to two treatment modalities: deproteinized bovine bone mineral (i) with 10% collagen (DBBM-C) soaked with HIF1A and covered by a collagen membrane (CM) (HIF group) or (ii) treated with DBBM-C only and covered by a CM (control group). Microcomputed tomography revealed some degree of collapse of the labial contour. The totally augmented volume and new bone volume did not differ significantly between two groups (P > 0.05). The histological analysis revealed that the apical area of the socket was mostly filled with newly formed bone, while there was less newly formed bone in the coronal area and incomplete cortex formation. The histomorphometric analysis revealed that the area of newly formed bone was significantly larger in the HIF group than the control group (12.16 ± 3.04 versus 9.48 ± 2.01 mm², P < 0.05), while there was no significant intergroup difference in the total augmented area. In conclusion, even though DBBM-C soaked with HIF1A enhanced histomorphometric bone formation, this intervention did not demonstrate superiority in preventing ridge shrinkage compared to DBBM-C alone. Clinical relevance of these findings should be further studied.