The effect of bioactive membrane in alveolar ridge preservation: A double‐blind randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND: This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) with or without a biologically active amnion-chorion membrane (BACM). METHODS: Thirty patients requiring tooth extraction in the esthetic zone were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Both groups underwent tooth extraction and collagenated bovine bone grafting, while the test sites received an additional BACM. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and intraoral scans (IOS) were performed before extraction and at 4 months post-extraction. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were assessed. The primary endpoint was the change in vertical and horizontal hard and soft tissue dimensions as measured by CBCT and clinically. RESULTS: All patients completed implant placement. CBCT measurements at 2 mm demonstrated that control and test groups exhibited reductions in horizontal ridge width with median decreases of 1.19 mm and 2.41 mm, respectively, with no significant differences (p = 0.126). For vertical height changes, the control and test groups experienced mean reductions of 0.99 ± 1.08 mm and 1.33 ± 0.73 mm, respectively, with no significant differences (p = 0.250). IOS analyses showed that mean soft tissue thickness at the alveolar crest was 2.67 ± 0.699 mm (p = 0.370) in the control versus 2.13 ± 0.807 mm (p = 0.846) in the test group, with no significant differences (p = 0.325). CONCLUSION: The addition of a BACM did not improve the mean horizontal or vertical bone dimentional changes or have a measurable effect on the soft tissue outcome during ARP.