Alveolar Ridge Preservation as a Way to Reduce the Need for Bone Augmentation: Implementation of a New, Non-invasive Method of Measuring Bone Preservation: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial and Feasibility Testing Results

Abstract

Introduction: The efficacy of alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) in preserving the bone after tooth extractions and before rehabilitation with an implant-supported restoration is examined. A new, non-invasive measurement method to determine the extent of bone preservation is presented. This measurement method is based on a 3D comparison of the condition immediately after extraction with the data of a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) eight weeks after extraction. Method:The study is a single-center, randomized, controlled parallel-group clinical investigation. 88 patients who required extraction of a maxillary tooth participated in the study. In 44 patients (intervention group), the socket is filled with a combination of a collagen plug and a collagen membrane introduced in the empty socket immediately after tooth removal (ARP). The 44 patients (control group) experience unassisted socket healing the hyporeflective space. Primary endpoints are (1) bone loss after tooth extraction; (2) the preservation of the alveolar ridge (soft tissue and bone); (3) the need for augmentation during the subsequent implant treatment; and (4) the question whether ARP is more costeffective than the therapy with unassisted socket healing. Patients will be followed for 5 years. Discussion:The extent of bone resorption after tooth extraction significantly influences the subsequent implant placement. Preserving the bone as well as possible is of great importance for the stability, prosthetically correct position and long-term functional success of the implantological treatment. A new, non-invasive method, without additional, study-related X-ray exposure, presented here for the first time, the change in volume of the bone bed can be analyzed. The preliminary results of this feasibility test report a median value of buccal and palatal bone loss of 6.2 mm (control)/4.4 mm (test) and 2.5 mm (control)/2.8 mm (test), respectively. These values are comparable to studies that also determined bone resorption by CBCT.

Alveolar ridge preservation with a collagen cone: Histological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical results of a randomized controlled clinical trial

“…Twenty patients with at least one tooth in the upper jaw that had to be removed and to be replaced by a fixed implant‐supported restoration participated in the study. Two groups (test and control groups) of 10 patients each from a study with a total of 60 participants were included in consecutive order (Schnutenhaus et al, ).…”

Alveolar Ridge Preservation: A Histomorphometric Analysis

“…Twenty patients who required extraction of a maxillary tooth to be subsequently replaced by a fixed implantsupported restoration participated in the histological part of the overall study that included 60 patients [28]. They were the first 10 patients of the test and control groups in consecutive order.…”