Preclinical and clinical studies of a collagen membrane (Bio-Gide)

Membranes are used to guide the repopulation of defects by preferred cells and to achieve a specific healing effect. The collagen membrane studied, Bio-Gide, was developed particularly for periodontal, peri-implant applications or to improve the ossification of bone defects of any origin. Bio-Gide is a bilayer membrane; one compact and smooth layer is covered by a particularly dense film, designed to prevent the invasion of soft tissue in a membrane-protected bone defect. The other, rough side of Bio-Gide must be placed towards the bone defect in order to make bone ingrowth possible. As a prerequisite for its therapeutic use in humans, the collagen matrix must be devoid of major immunogenicity. The immunological response to the membrane material was analysed in rabbits. Later, a clinical prospective study provided information about the bone regeneration effect under the Bio-Gide membrane inserted in six patients selected at random. The immune response to the collagen membrane Bio-Gide and the bone healing was tested in these patients when undergoing oral surgery.