Alveolar ridge preservation with a collagen material: a randomized controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Oral Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Alveolar bone resorption is a common complication following tooth extraction.
• Effective alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) techniques are crucial to mitigate bone loss.
• Untreated extraction sockets often lead to significant dimensional changes in the alveolar process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of an equine collagen membrane and cone combination for alveolar ridge preservation (ARP).
• To test the hypothesis that this ARP method reduces alveolar bone dimensional changes post-extraction compared to untreated controls.
• To compare bone resorption in the buccal region between the ARP and control groups.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical trial involving 60 patients undergoing tooth extraction.
• The intervention group (31 patients) received an equine collagen membrane and cone (ARP group).
• The control group (29 patients) received no socket preservation measures.
• Three-dimensional evaluation of alveolar process changes at extraction and after 8 weeks using cone-beam computed tomography.

Main Results:

• Both groups experienced bone reduction, but the ARP group showed significantly less resorption.
• Median bone reduction in the buccal region was 1.18 mm for the ARP group versus 5.06 mm for the control group (P=0.03).
• The collagen material effectively preserved bone in the clinically relevant buccal bone area.

Conclusions:

• The hypothesis is supported: the collagen cone and membrane combination significantly reduces alveolar bone resorption.
• This ARP technique is effective in preserving bone dimensions, particularly in the buccal region.
• The use of equine collagen material offers a viable solution for mitigating post-extraction bone loss.