Background: Critically sized surgical bony defects after enucleation of cystic bony lesions will not spontaneously heal.
Purpose: This clinical study aimed to assess the osteoinductive potential of bioactive bone glass in the form of sticky bone in critical-sized surgical bony defects.
Patients and methods: the present study is a randomized clinical controlled trial including 24 patients divided into two equal groups. Cystic lesions exceeding 2 x 2 cm were enucleated, and the defect was obliterated with bioactive bone glass particles in group 1 and bioactive glass sticky bone in group 2. Bone density was measured in grayscale units from digital panoramic radiographs immediately, at three and six months postoperatively.
Results: The healing went uneventful, except for the exfoliation of graft particles through the incision line in groups 1. In group 1, the percentage of decrease in the bone density during the first three months is higher in group 1 than group 2 that was then increased by nearly the same percentage at the six months interval although statistically there is no significant difference between the two groups through out the study period.
Conclusion: The bioactive glass prepared as the sticky bone has better intraoperative handling and workability, better soft tissue reaction during the healing period and higher bone density values of the grafted defects than when used solely although it hasn't any radiographic statistical significant results regarding the studied parameters.