The Effect of Primary Stabilization of the Graft in a Combined Surgical and Prosthodontic Ridge Preservation Protocol: A Prospective Controlled Clinical Pilot Study

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of a modified surgical and prosthodontic ridge preservation protocol with direct insertion of a temporary but fixed reconstruction at the time of extraction. After atraumatic extraction and filling of the socket with an in situ-hardening graft material to fortify the outline position of the marginal rim of the former socket, the change in buccal volume was documented with an analog impression and digital scanning and processing workflow of the data. Changes in the soft tissue profile were calculated as the difference between the digitized surface on the day of extraction and at the 6-month follow-up. The results indicate that in the group with stabilization of the graft material with a fixed temporary appliance, the amount of buccal volume loss was reduced to −1.06 mm (95% confidence interval = −1.8 to −0.29) in comparison to the group without temporary reconstruction for sites in the mandible (−2.09 mm), and for the group in the maxilla without temporary reconstruction (−2.17 mm). The difference was statistically significant (P = .0059). Using a singlestage approach while simultaneously reconstructing the esthetic appearance of the patient with a fixed temporary appliance, the described modification of current ridge preservation techniques is able to reduce buccal volume loss after extraction. This might aid the final esthetic rehabilitation of a visible site after extraction by means of a conventional or implant-based fixed reconstruction.