EFFECT OF A NEW XENOGRAFT MATERIAL IN MANDIBULAR POST-EXTRACTION SITES: A CASE SERIES

The alveolus bone is a tooth-dependent tissue. The extraction of the dental element determines the resorption of the alveolar crest, which trophism is linked to the presence of the periodontal ligament. Several materials have been used to improve alveolar bone healing and maintain alveolar ridge. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effects of a new matrix of bovine bone processed at low temperature in association with a membrane of the bovine pericardium in post-extraction sites using histological analysis comparing treated and untreated alveoli. Five patients with non-recoverable teeth were enrolled in the present study for teeth extraction. In treated sites, the alveolus was packed with Decellularized and Antigen-free Bovine Bone (RE-BONE® Ubgen, Padova, Italy) and subsequently covered with a bovine-derived pericardium membrane (SHELTER® FAST Ubgen, Padova, Italy). Four alveoli of two patients were left to heal spontaneously as control sites. The tissue sampling was performed during the implant site preparation four months after extraction. Specimens were decalcified, and sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Bone histomorphometry of regeneration tissues from treated sites showed an average increase of 2.9% in bone tissue. However, no statistically significant differences can be detected since standard deviations are very high. Generally, the alveolar preservation technique is a valuable method to guarantee alveolar volume stability. The material studied here showed a slight increase in bone production after 4 months from a tooth extraction in treated sites, which is an expression of a good healing process. However, since the limited number of cases analyzed, additional studies are needed to verify the bone gain in alveolar bone healing.