The effects of bone grafting material and a collagen membrane in the ridge splitting technique: an experimental study in dogs

Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the effect of bone graft materials and collagen membranes in ridge splitting procedures with immediate implant placement using a dog model. Materials and methods: Mandibular premolars were extracted in five beagle dogs. After 3 months, ridge splitting and placement of three OsseoSpeed™ implants were performed bilaterally. The gaps between the implants were allocated according to the following eight treatment modalities; Group 1(no graft), Group 2 (autogenous bone), Group 3 (Bio‐Oss® Collagen), Group 4 (Bio‐Oss®), Group 5 (no graft+BioGide®), Group 6 (autogenous bone+BioGide®), Group 7 (Bio‐Oss® Collagen+BioGide®), and Group 8 (Bio‐Oss®+BioGide®). The dogs were sacrificed after 8 or 12 weeks and the specimens were analyzed histologically and histometrically. Results: The gaps between the implants were filled with the newly formed bone, irrespective of which of the eight grafting techniques was used. Group 1 revealed a significantly lower percentage of bone‐to‐implant contact (BIC) than Group 5 at 8 and 12 weeks (P