Early soft tissue changes following implant placement with or without soft tissue augmentation using a xenogeneic cross‐link collagen scaffold: A volumetric comparative study

• Published in: Journal of esthetic and restorative dentistry Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 181 - 187
• Main Authors: Tavelli, Lorenzo, Barootchi, Shayan, Vera Rodriguez, Maria, Mancini, Leonardo, Meneghetti, Priscila Ceolin, Mendonça, Gustavo, Wang, Hom‐Lay
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-01-2022; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Collagen; collagen matrix; dental implant; Dental Implantation, Endosseous; Dental Implants; Gingiva; Humans; Mucosa; soft tissue augmentation; Statistical analysis; three‐dimensional analysis; tissue graft; collagen matrix; soft tissue augmentation; three-dimensional analysis; tissue graft; dental implant
• ISSN: 1496-4155; 1708-8240
• DOI: 10.1111/jerd.12856

Objective
Soft tissue augmentation (STA) at implant sites has the potential of improving peri‐implant health, esthetics, and marginal bone level stability. The present study aimed at evaluating the volumetric changes occurring following implant placement in sites that received STA compared to non‐augmented sites.
Methods
A total of 26 subjects received a dental implant in a posterior edentulous site. Simultaneous STA with a xenogeneic cross‐linked collagen scaffold was performed for the first 13 patients, while the remaining subjects served as the negative control. An intraoral optical scanner was used at baseline and at 12 weeks to generate digital models.
Results
The mean volume (Vol) gain of the test group was 38.43 mm3, while a mean Vol of −16.82 mm3 was observed for the control group (p < 0.05). The mean thickness of the reconstructed volume (ΔD) was 0.61 and −0.24 mm, for the test and control group, respectively (p < 0.05). Higher linear dimensional changes were observed for the test group (p < 0.05), while no significant differences were observed in terms of keratinized mucosa width and pocket depth changes between the two groups.
Conclusions
Simultaneous STA with xenogeneic collagen scaffold obtained statistically significant higher volumetric outcomes compared to the non‐augmented group.
Clinical Significance
STA at the time of implant placement using a xenogeneic cross‐linked collagen scaffold can prevent remodeling of the ridge during the first 12 weeks, as compared to non‐grafted implant sites.