Ridge preservation in periodontally compromised molar sockets with and without primary wound closure: A comparative controlled clinical trial

Objective: This study aimed to compare hard- and soft-tissue changes after ridge preservation in periodontally compromised molar sockets with and without primary wound closure.Materials and Methods: Forty molars with severe periodontitis requiring extraction were included and allocated to two treatment modalities. After tooth extraction, the sockets were filled with deproteinized bovine bone mineral and covered with a bioabsorbable porcine collagen membrane. Primary wound closure was achieved in the control group, whereas the test group underwent minimally invasive open healing. The dimensions of the bone and soft tissue were recorded at baseline and 6 months.Results: Over 6 months, the control and test groups had similar mean ridge heights at the center of sockets of 8.59 +/- 2.47 mm and 8.47 +/- 2.51 mm, respectively. The total volume of the control group increased from 1070.17 to 1713.52 mm(3) for a mean gain of 643.35 mm(3), whereas that of the test group increased from 992.51 to 1514.05 mm(3) for a mean gain of 521.54 mm(3). Compared with the test group, the control group showed a statistically significant decrease in keratinized tissue width of 1.08 +/- 1.63 mm.Conclusions: Bone dimensional changes following ridge preservation with and without primary wound closure were comparable. ARP without primary wound closure preserves more keratinized tissue than that with (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR-ONN-16009433).