Efficacy of Socket Grafting for Alveolar Ridge Preservation

Subjects requiring single-rooted tooth extractions and future tooth replacement therapy with implant-supported restorations will be recruited. Subjects will be randomly assigned to either a control (tooth extraction alone) or an experimental group (tooth extraction and ridge preservation using an allograft to fill the alveolar socket covered with a non-absorbable, dense polytetrafluoroethylene membrane \[dPTFE\]). Clinical linear measurements of the ridge (horizontal and vertical) will be obtained using a tooth-supported stent. Following extraction, primary closure of the socket will not be attempted. Subjects will be re-evaluated at 1 and 4 weeks. Implant placement surgery will be performed at 16 weeks. Clinical measurements will be repeated upon surgical re-entry. Cone beam computed tomographic (CBCT) scans will be obtained at baseline (after tooth extraction) and at 14 weeks (prior to implant placement) to assess alveolar ridge volumetric changes (primary outcome). Secondary outcome measures include changes in bucco-lingual and apico-coronal clinical measurements of the ridge and changes in modified wound healing index changes overtime. The influence of the thickness of the facial and lingual bone of the alveolar ridge and the width of the keratinized tissue on the remodeling of the ridge will be evaluated.