Influence of collagen membrane on bone quality in titanium mesh reconstructions-Study in rats.

Background: New bone formation and tissue remodeling are the major challenges in implantology today. Titanium meshes have demonstrated reconstructive potential for vertical bone gain. However, the soft tissue healing is technically sensitive to the surgical procedure. The combined usage of collagen membrane and specification of the meshes may ensure greater predictability. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the influence of collagen membrane on the quality of the new bone formation in guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedures with different titanium meshes.

Methods: Twenty-eight Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four main experimental groups, according to mesh pore size in μm: Group P300 (titanium meshes, with 0.3-mm thickness and 3-mm pore size; n = 7); Group P175 (titanium meshes, with 0.3-mm thickness and 1.75-mm pore size; n = 7); Group P85: (titanium meshes, with 0.04-mm thickness and 0.85-mm pore size; n = 7); Group P15: (titanium meshes. with 0.04-mm thickness and 0.15-mm pore size; n = 7). The femurs of each animal were subdivided into test and control groups: Test: bovine bone graft associated with porcine collagen and collagen membrane was used; control: bovine bone graft associated with porcine collagen was used without association with collagen membrane. Bone quality evaluation by in vivo microtomography and histologic analysis were performed.

Results: Bone volume formation was similar between groups (P >0.05). However, the titanium meshes with pore size >1 mm demonstrated higher mineral bone density in comparison with meshes with pore size <1 mm (P <0.05), regardless of the combined usage of collagen membrane. All groups showed a spongy bone formation after 30 days.

Conclusions: Combined usage of collagen membrane in GBR procedures with titanium mesh did not show improvements in new bone quality in rat femur model. However, titanium mesh pore size specifications may influence bone quality.