Aim of the study: To compare between the effect of two different bone grafting materials on the horizontal and vertical socket dimensional changes following posterior teeth extraction.
Materials and Methods: 30 patients (13 females &17 males) were enrolled in the current study according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The patients were allocated to one of three groups. Group I involved socket preservation using demineralized allograft, group II involved socket preservation using cancellous particulate bovine bone xenograft, while group III served as a negative control group. Radiographic analysis using Cone Beam CT were performed at the time of socket preservation and 4 months later.
Results: At 4 months, there was no significant difference between the three groups on all the sites except at the height of the center of the socket (P = 0.029). Pairwise comparison showed that the mean of group I (10.54 ± 2.10) was statistically higher than group III (8.17± 2.26), while there was no significant difference between groups I and II.
Conclusion: Socket preservation following posterior teeth extraction using either allograft or xenograft did not significantly influence socket width change. However, the use of allograft can significantly decrease mid vertical height reduction compared with unassisted socket healing.