Clinical outcomes of implants in atrophic ridges augmented with collagenated xenogeneic or autogenous bone: 4-year follow-up of a randomized clinical trial.

This study aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of dental implants placed in alveolar ridges augmented with collagenated xenogeneic bone blocks (CXBB) or autogenous bone blocks (ABB). In this non-interventional study, 20 patients (CXBB: n = 11; ABB: n = 9) from a previous randomized controlled clinical trial were followed for four years. These patients had undergone lateral alveolar ridge augmentation with either CXBB or ABB, with implants placed after a 30-week healing period. The following parameters were assessed: implant survival and success rates, peri-implant clinical parameters, Pink Esthetic Scores (PES), and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Both groups demonstrated high implant survival rates, with only one late failure occurring in the ABB group. There were no statistically significant differences between the CXBB and ABB groups regarding implant survival and success rates (p > 0.05). Peri-implant clinical assessments indicated healthy tissue surrounding the implants in both groups, with no significant differences between CXBB- and ABB-grafted sites. While overall PES scores were similar, the ABB group showed significantly higher scores for soft tissue level and contour (p < 0.05). Patient-reported outcomes, accessed via the OHIP-14 questionnaire, indicated comparable satisfaction levels between the two groups. Both CXBB and ABB groups exhibited comparable long-term outcomes for implant survival and success. Although the ABB group demonstrated slightly better esthetic results, CXBB showed comparable clinical and patient-reported results, suggesting it may be a feasible alternative for staged lateral alveolar ridge augmentation. These findings should, however, be interpreted with caution given the limited number of patients.