Alveolar Ridge Preservation Using a Composite Graft Plug: Radiographic and Clinical Assessment

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether a graft material introduced recently (test) to be used in extraction sockets is as good as a previously known graft material (control) in adults undergoing tooth extraction of a single-rooted tooth. The main question it aims to answer is: Is this graft material able to maintain good bone volume and composition after extraction? Researchers will compare this new graft to a well-studied graft material. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the groups and will receive the allocated graft after tooth extraction. The dimension of the alveolar ridge, which supports teeth in the jaw, will be measured before extraction and four months after healing. A cone beam CT Scan will also be obtained.

Alveolar ridge resorption after tooth extraction poses a substantial obstacle for subsequent implant placement, frequently necessitating ridge augmentation treatments. Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) is intended to reduce these dimensional alterations. Various grafting materials have been used for ARP, with varying success rates in maintaining ridge dimensions. This study compares the clinical and radiological outcomes of a composite graft plug of bioactive resorbable calcium apatite crystals embedded in a collagen matrix to a typical allograft. This randomized controlled clinical experiment comprised 26 people needing a single-rooted tooth extracted. They were divided into two groups: composite plug and allograft. Clinical measures of soft tissue were collected at baseline and four months after extraction using a stent with reference points. At baseline and four months after extraction, radiographic examinations were performed using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).