Comparing Small Buccal Dehiscence Defects Treated with or without Guided Bone Regeneration. A Sub-Analysis of a RCT

This analysis aimed to assess clinical and radiographic outcomes of single-tooth posterior implants with a dehiscence defect treated with or without guided bone regeneration (GBR). In a randomized clinical trial of 59 patients, single-tooth posterior implants were placed. For the subanalysis of 16 patients with a buccal dehiscence defect (≤ 5 mm), the implants were randomly assigned to GBR or spontaneous healing (SH). In 8 patients, the implants were surrounded by native bone. A transmucosal healing approach was chosen for all sites. Patients were examined at restoration delivery (RD) and at 1 year, and the following measurements were included: soft tissue thickness (STT), bone tissue thickness (BTT), and buccal contour, based on CBCT imaging, optical scans, and clinical pa-rameters. All data were analyzed descriptively. The mean STT at the implant shoulder (IS) showed gains of 0.15 mm (Q1: -0.16 mm, Q3: 0.49 mm) for the GBR group and 0.03 mm (Q1: -0.49 mm, Q3: 0.13 mm) for the SH group. The mean BBT at 1 mm below the IS showed losses of 0.25 mm (Q1: -0.85 mm, Q3: -0.09 mm) for the GBR group and 0.04 mm (Q1: -0.14 mm, Q3: 0.17 mm) for the SH group. All peri-implant soft tissue parameters indicated healthy peri-implant tissues with no clinical-ly relevant differences between the groups. Patient-reported outcomes regarding pain at 1 day post-surgery were similar among the study groups. The present subanalysis resulted in a similar buccal contour, radiographic outcomes, and peri-implant health for sites treated with or without GBR.