Bone remodeling around implants placed after socket preservation: a 10-year retrospective radiological study.

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Periodontology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Post-extraction socket management is crucial for maintaining alveolar ridge dimensions.
• Ridge preservation techniques aim to minimize bone resorption after tooth removal.
• Comparing grafting materials like porcine xenografts and collagen is essential for optimizing treatment outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the long-term clinical and radiological outcomes of ridge preservation using porcine xenograft versus collagen alone.
• To evaluate alveolar width changes and implant stability over a 10-year period.
• To assess adverse events and the long-term maintenance of the buccal plate covering implants.

Main Methods:

• Single-tooth extraction in the posterior mandible followed by socket grafting with either porcine bone or collagen sponge.
• Ridge expansion technique with immediate implant placement performed 2-3 months post-extraction.
• Long-term follow-up (10 years) evaluating alveolar width changes, implant survival, and buccal plate coverage.

Main Results:

• Both grafting materials showed significant long-term width increases after ridge splitting and bone expansion.
• No significant differences in alveolar width were observed between groups at the 10-year follow-up.
• The porcine bone group (Group A) exhibited significantly poorer long-term buccal bone coverage around implants compared to the collagen group (Group B).

Conclusions:

• Porcine bone grafting demonstrated superior short-term outcomes in ridge preservation.
• Collagen sponge alone provided comparable long-term alveolar width maintenance.
• Porcine bone grafting was associated with reduced long-term stability of the buccal plate compared to collagen.