Enhancing Ridge Preservation - Emerging Techniques Reviewed

Background: The purpose of alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) aims to minimize the physiological changes of ridge reduction occurring after dental extraction which can prevent the need for future alveolar ridge augmentation procedures. By integrating biologics into ARP biomaterials, there is a potential to enhance the regeneration of both hard and soft tissues with greater efficacy. Aim: This literature review aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of the addition of biologics to currently used ARP materials. Methods: A search of the PubMed electronic database was conducted, and relevant articles were sifted through. Sixty-three articles met inclusion and exclusion criteria and were included in this review. Results and Conclusions: From this literature review, the combination of biologics with ARP materials resulted in similar dimensional changes when compared to using ARP materials alone. Nevertheless, the research has unveiled a noteworthy enhancement in bone density levels, increased wound healing capacity of soft and hard tissue, and a reduction in post-operative pain. Whilst adding biologics to ARP materials have shown an increase in bone density, its effectiveness in improving implant outcomes and reducing the need for future ridge reconstruction is uncertain. Currently, it is not possible to draw any definite inferences about the benefits of integrating biologics with ARP materials as the available studies are limited, and their findings are inconsistent due to potential bias and heterogeneity. Conducting further research is imperative as it has the potential to improve the results of ARP, thereby benefiting patient-related and implant treatment outcomes.