Histologic evaluation of topical simvastatin effects on extraction sockets: A randomized controlled clinical trial

The reduction of alveolar ridge volume after tooth extraction can be decreased through ridge preservation. According to previous studies, statin drugs induce osteogenesis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of simvastatin on the preservation and ossification of the alveolar ridge after tooth extraction.

In this single-center randomized clinical trial, 40 dental sockets in 40 patients were randomly divided into the treatment group (collagen with simvastatin) and the control group (collagen only). Histologic bone examination was performed under a light microscope two months after socket preservation at the time of dental implants. The predictable variable was using simvastatin in dental sockets. In the treatment group, collagen was used with simvastatin; in the control group, only collagen was used. The percentage of bone formation was the primary outcome, which was measured as the area of newly formed bone. In this study, inflammatory reaction, the amount of remaining bone substitute, and foreign body reaction were compared between the two groups. Covariates included age, sex, and tooth location. T-test was used for normally distributed data, while the Mann-Whitney test was used for non-normal data. P<0.05 was considered significant.

The results showed that following eight weeks of simvastatin use in the treatment group, the percentage of new bone formation was significantly higher compared to the control group (treatment group vs. control group: 69.28±3.93 vs. 52.76±2.01; P=0.0001). No foreign body reaction and residual graft materials were observed in the treatment and control groups. Furthermore, the study showed an inflammatory reaction in only 23.5% of the samples in the control group (P=0.045).

Simvastatin significantly increased the formation of new bone in the dental socket in the treatment group.