Clementini M, Castelluzzo W, Ciaravino V. The effect of immediate implant placement on alveolar ridge preservation compared to spontaneous healing after tooth extraction: soft tissue findings from a randomized controlled clinical trial. J Clin Periodontol 2020. DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13369. Online ahead of print.

A preservation technique with DBBM-CM, with or without immediate implant placement, did not reduce the horizontal linear and volumetric changes at the buccal soft tissue profile.

This study explored soft tissue dimensional changes and relative differences in soft and hard tissue volumes 4 months after single tooth extraction and three different treatment modalities: spontaneous healing (SH) and alveolar ridge preservation by means of a deproteneised bovine bone mineral and a collagen matrix, with (IMPL/DBBM/CM) or without (DBBM/CM) immediate implant placement. Stereolithography (STL) files from study casts obtained at baseline and after 4 months were matched to calculate buccal soft tissues linear and volumetric changes. DICOM file from CBCTs were superimposed to STL files allowing the evaluation of soft tissue thickness. Mean horizontal reduction accounted for 1.46, 0.85 (DBBM-CM) and 0.84 IMPL/DBBM-CM, with no statistical differences. Soft tissue thickness had a significant mean increase of 0.95 for SH group, compared to a non-significant mean decrease for DBBM-CM and IMPL/DBBM-CM group.