Aim: Comparing horizontal and vertical dimensional changes in bone after socket preservation using the Ice-Cream Cone technique using xenograft and collagen membrane versus spontaneous healing.
Methods: 17 patients with 20 non-restorable single or double-rooted teeth, having a buccal bone defect were enrolled to the study, randomly allocated into two equal groups; the ice-cream cone technique (test group) and the spontaneous healing (control group). CBCT was used at 0 and 4 months postoperatively to measure horizontal and vertical bone dimensional changes. Horizontal measurements were taken at 3,6, and 9 mm from crest.
Results: Horizontal bone loss; measured at 3, 6, 9 mm from crest, in the test group showed a median of 1.82 mm (-3.06 ˗ 3.45), 1.6 mm (-2.39 ˗ -1.25) and 1.67 mm (-3.33 ˗ -0.63) respectively, while the control group showed a loss of 2.17 mm (-4.19 ˗ -0.83), 1.36 mm (-2.33 ˗ -0.39) and 0.72 mm (-1.57 ˗ 0.3) respectively with no statistically significant difference. The median loss of buccal bone height was 0.77 (-3.75 ˗ 5.07) and 1.22 (-3.66 ˗ 2.53) in test and control groups respectively while palatal bone height loss was -0.84 (-1.87 ˗ 2.2) and -0.58 (-3.5 ˗ 0.87) in test and control groups respectively with no statistically significant difference.
Conclusion: The ice-cream cone technique has well preserved the buccal and palatal vertical bone height with absence of a statistical significant loss. At the crestal region, non-significant bone loss occurred in the test group compared to a significant loss in the control group.