Evaluation of sticky bone in guided bone regeneration in the aesthetic area of the anterior teeth: a retrospective study

The retrospective study aimed to compare the space-maintaining effects of sticky bone (bone graft matrix enriched with injectable platelet-rich fibrin) and titanium mesh for bone augmentation in the aesthetic zone. Patients who underwent single implant placement and had type 2/4 alveolar bone defects (buccal bone wall loss is >50% of the expected implant length) were screened for inclusion in this study. The labial bone plate width was measured at 1, 3, and 5 mm below the apical implant platform on cone beam computed tomography images taken immediately and 6 months after surgery. Mimics and 3-matic software were used to measure the volume changes in the labial bone at 6 months post-surgery. Forty patients were included. There was no significant difference in the change in labial bone width between the groups at 1 mm (P = 0.22), 3 mm (P = 0.71), or 5 mm (P = 0.53). There was no significant difference in the change in labial bone volume (P = 0.70) or aesthetic scores (P = 0.27) between the groups. Sticky bone showed comparable space-maintaining effects as titanium mesh in bone augmentation for single-tooth implantation in type 2/4 bone defects in the anterior maxillary aesthetic area.