Introduction of "MAPS" wound healing index and its correlation with guided bone regeneration outcome

The MAPS score was introduced to evaluate the bioMechanical, Aesthetic/Anatomical, Pathophysiologic, and Subject-related parameters for the healing assessment of 20 patients who underwent GBR in the posterior mandible retrospectively. Intraoral photography was taken at 3-, 10-, 21 days, and 5 months, resulting in 80 follow-up visits. Two independent examiners evaluated the photos giving scores for each timepoint and tested against horizontal bone gain (CBCT) for predictability.

Cohen's Kappa values showed high intra- and inter-examiner agreement. Pearson's correlation showed an inverse correlation between baseline bone width and bone changes at a 3 mm level (R2 = 0.23). The higher M, A, and P values at any time point were associated with higher bone gain. The 10-day MAPS score turns out the most predictive of bone gain (RMSE 1.32, R2 0.75). In addition, increasing the average P score by 1 point at 10 days is associated with an increase in bone gain of 1.23 (p=.057).

The MAPS score improves consistently over the 5-month healing period. However, no statistically significant difference is observed between the scores at 21 days and 5 months, reflecting the clinical healing pattern for GBR. The overall MAPS score correlated with bone changes after GBR procedures, indicating its potential for estimating hard tissue regenerative outcomes.