Horizontal bone augmentation using two membranes at dehisced implant sites: A randomized clinical study

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Periodontology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Alveolar ridge augmentation is crucial for dental implant success, especially in narrow ridges.
• Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is a common technique for ridge augmentation and managing implant-related bone defects.
• Deficiencies in buccal bone present challenges for implant placement and stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the clinical efficacy of collagen membranes versus titanium mesh for horizontal bone augmentation.
• To evaluate bone regeneration at dehisced implant sites using these two barrier materials.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 12 implant sites in 8 subjects with buccal bone deficiency.
• Simultaneous treatment with either collagen membrane or titanium mesh, combined with deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM).
• Primary outcomes measured were defect height and width, assessed at baseline and after 6 months via re-entry surgery.

Main Results:

• Mean defect fill for height was 87% (collagen membrane) and 92% (titanium mesh).
• Mean defect fill for width was 82% (collagen membrane) and 88% (titanium mesh).
• Both groups showed statistically significant bone augmentation, with slightly superior results in the titanium mesh group.

Conclusions:

• Both collagen membranes and titanium mesh are effective for horizontal bone augmentation at dehisced implant sites.
• While both methods yielded significant bone fill, titanium mesh showed a trend towards better defect resolution.
• Further research may be needed to fully elucidate long-term differences between the materials.