Clinical and Histological Evaluation of Zimmer Puros® Allograft vs. Creos™ (Low-cost) Allograft for Alveolar Ridge Preservation Following Exodontia

Twenty-four consecutive subjects requiring extraction of two non-adjacent molars or premolars located in the same jaw will be selected from the patient pool of the Center for Advanced Periodontology at the University of Florida, College of Dentistry.

Preoperative Procedures: At the initial screening, the goals of the study, potential risks and possible benefits will be explained and each subject will be asked to sign a written consent statement permitting extraction of the involved teeth and the placement of Puros® allograft and creos™ allograft for ridge preservation. After which a complete medical and dental history will be obtained, a pregnancy test will be performed, and establishment of inclusion and exclusion criteria will be determined. If meeting all study criteria, examination periapical radiographs will be taken and each subject will receive oral hygiene instructions, prophylaxis, and full-arch alginate impressions. The study models will also be used to fabricate occlusal templates to permit reproducible clinical measurements of the alveolar ridge dimensions of the residual tooth socket.

Surgical Protocol & Treatment Assessment: To help minimize technical variances in the surgical treatment protocol, the primary investigator will perform baseline and 12-week re-entry surgeries. Under local anesthesia, full-thickness mucoperiosteal flaps will be elevated; the selected teeth will be extracted atraumatically, followed by debridement of the sockets, and collection of all clinical measurements.The following clinical measurements will be made at the baseline and re-entry surgeries using standard University of North Carolina (UNC) manual probes (Hu-Friedy, Chicago, IL):

1. Facial/buccal thickness (baseline, only)
2. Distance from the occlusal template to the facial, lingual and crestal bone
3. Socket depth (or template to crest distance at the 90-day re-entry surgery)
4. Osseous dehiscence location and dimension
5. Bone density (on re-entry)

The surgeon will then preserve each site with either Puros® allograft creos™ allograft. Puros® allograft will be placed into half of the extraction sockets to the level of the osseous crest. A bovine pericardium membrane (CopiOs ®Pericardium) will be then placed to cover the bone graft material. Primary closure will be achieved in all cases. The site will be sutured with 4.0 PTFE sutures. The other extraction sites will receive the same treatment but with creos™ allograft. Participants will be prescribed a 10 day regimen of Ibuprofen (2.4g/day) and antibiotics (amoxicillin (1.5g/day) or clindamycin (0.6g/day)) unless other allergies are present. Subjects will be instructed to change their diet to semi-liquid for 48 hours, followed by soft foods for the first 2-weeks. Subjects will also be instructed to begin rinsing with warm water, as needed, and to resume their normal oral hygiene routine the day after surgery in all areas except the surgical site.