Histomorphometric analysis on socket preservation in the upper jaw using a new xenograft material

After a dental extraction, a variable amount of bone resorption of the residual ridge is observed quantitatively and qualitatively. Alveolar Socket Preservation is a surgical technique that fills alveolar space with biomaterial to maintain alveolar ridge volume for subsequent implant insertion. The purpose of this study is to histologically analyze the healing process of the post-extraction alveoli in the upper jaws grafted with a new biomaterial. Five patients were enrolled in the study, all female, non-smokers, with no periodontal disease or diabetes, and not on any medication. The five treated sites were from three females mean age of 49 years. The two control sites were from two females mean age of 71 years. Test alveoli were packed with decellularized, and antigen-free bovine bone processed at low temperature (RE-BONE; Ubgen, Padua, Italy) and then covered with a bovine-derived pericardium membrane (SHELTER FAST; Ubgen, Padua, Italy). At 4 months, surgery for implant insertion was scheduled, and sampling was carried out to obtain bone to be histologically analyzed. The histomorphometric analysis showed an average increase of 6.3% of bone tissue in treated samples compared to controls, but no statistically significant differences were obtained due to the high standard deviation values. In our case series, the new biomaterial shows a good trend as regards the alveolar healing process. However, no conclusion can be drowned due to the limited sample. Therefore, additional studies with greater sample sizes are needed to obtain conclusive results.