Early Dental Implant Installation in Regeneration Sites: a Prof of Concept Prospective Case Study

Overview

This study will evaluate bone healing after tooth extraction and alveolar ridge preservation, a common procedure used to maintain the bone volume needed for future dental implant placement. Participants will be adult patients who require tooth extraction, ridge preservation, and later implant-supported rehabilitation as part of their routine dental treatment. After the tooth is removed, the extraction socket will be treated with a bone graft material and covered with a membrane according to standard clinical procedures. At the time of implant placement, a small cylindrical bone sample will be collected from the same site where the implant will be placed. This tissue would normally be removed during preparation of the implant site. Therefore, no additional surgical access or tissue removal will be performed solely for research purposes. The collected samples will be analyzed under the microscope to evaluate the amount and characteristics of newly formed bone and remaining graft material. The study aims to better understand the quality of bone regeneration after alveolar ridge preservation and its suitability for implant placement.

Alveolar ridge preservation is commonly performed after tooth extraction to reduce post-extraction dimensional changes and support future implant placement. Although this procedure is widely used in clinical practice, the histologic characteristics of the regenerated tissue may vary depending on the biomaterial used, the healing period, and patient-related factors. Histomorphometric analysis of bone core biopsies obtained at the time of implant placement provides direct information about newly formed bone, residual graft particles, and non-mineralized tissue within the regenerated ridge. This clinical study will be conducted in adult patients requiring tooth extraction, alveolar ridge preservation, and subsequent implant-supported rehabilitation as part of their routine dental treatment. After tooth extraction, the socket will be treated using a guided bone regeneration approach according to standard clinical procedures. The treated site will be allowed to heal before implant placement. At the time of implant placement, a cylindrical bone core biopsy will be obtained during preparation of the implant osteotomy. The biopsy will be collected from tissue that would otherwise be removed as part of the standard implant site preparation. No additional surgical access or tissue removal will be performed exclusively for research purposes beyond collection of the trephine core from the planned implant osteotomy site. The retrieved bone core specimens will be processed for histologic and histomorphometric evaluation. The analysis will assess the composition of the regenerated tissue, including newly formed bone, residual graft material, and non-mineralized connective tissue. These findings will help characterize the quality of bone healing after alveolar ridge preservation and provide information on the suitability of the regenerated site for implant-supported rehabilitation. The study is designed to reflect routine clinical conditions and to evaluate biologic outcomes using tissue obtained during a standard step of implant therapy.