Comparison of a non-grafted socket shield technique with guided bone regeneration in immediate implant placement: a...

The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare a non-grafted socket shield technique (SST) with simultaneous guided bone regeneration (GBR) in immediate implant placement in terms of clinical, aesthetic, and radiographic parameters. Patients with an unrestorable tooth in the maxillary aesthetic region were included. The patients were randomized to SST and GBR groups. While the buccal gap was untreated in the SST group, a xenograft and membrane were applied in the GBR. Peri-implant pocket depth (PD), modified plaque (mPI) and bleeding index (mBI), keratinized mucosa width (KMW), and mucosal thickness (MT) were recorded at the permanent restoration and at 1 year postoperative. The horizontal bone level (HBL), vertical bone level (VBL), and pink aesthetic score (PES) were assessed before surgery and at 1 year postoperative. The 1-year analysis included 24 patients, 12 in each group. There was no significant difference in 1-year measurements of mPI, PD, mBI, MT, HBL, or VBL between the groups. However, KMW was significantly greater in the SST (P = 0.013). The PES evaluation showed significantly higher scores in the SST (P = 0.004). SST and GBR demonstrated similar effectiveness at the hard tissue level in single-tooth immediate implant placement in the aesthetic region.