Comparison of resorbable and nonresorbable guided bone regeneration materials: a preliminary study

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Background:

• Guided bone regeneration (GBR) utilizes barrier membranes to exclude soft tissues, promoting bone formation within defects.
• Various resorbable and non-resorbable membranes are available, each with distinct properties influencing GBR outcomes.
• Evaluating membrane efficacy in a reliable animal model is crucial for clinical translation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of three resorbable membranes (polyglactin 910 knitted mesh/Vicryl, freeze-dried fascia lata, crosslinked bovine type I collagen/BioMend) and two non-resorbable membranes (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene/Gore Tex, polytetrafluoroethylene/Millipore) in promoting bone regeneration.
• To assess bone formation in surgically created calvarial defects in a canine model using clinical and radiographic evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Three adult male dogs received six 1.5 cm diameter bicortical calvarial defects each.
• Defects were covered with one of five experimental barrier membranes (three resorbable, two non-resorbable) or left as a negative control (uncovered).
• Bone regeneration was evaluated clinically and radiographically (densitometry) 10 weeks post-implantation.

Main Results:

• All surgical sites healed without complications.
• Variable new bone growth was observed across all membrane types and the control site.
• A trend towards increased bone growth was noted with non-resorbable membranes, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• The canine calvarial defect model is effective for evaluating guided bone regeneration membranes.
• While non-resorbable membranes showed a trend towards enhanced bone regeneration, further statistically powered studies are needed.
• The choice of membrane material may influence the degree of bone regeneration in GBR procedures.