Enhanced ridge preservation by bone mineral bound with collagen-binding synthetic oligopeptide: a clinical and histologic study in humans

Background: The ridge‐preservation technique has been applied with membrane alone or membrane plus graft. Synthetic peptides, mimicking bioactive growth factor or extracellular matrix protein, have been attempted to provide an active surface of the biomaterials in inducing bone formation while alleviating the limitations of whole protein such as short half‐life, immunologic responses. The aim of the present clinical study is to examine the osteogenic effect of synthetic oligopeptide–coated bone mineral compared to bone graft without peptide when applied with collagen membrane in a ridge‐preservation technique. Methods: Synthetic oligopeptide from the collagen‐binding domain of osteopontin was chemically synthesized and coated onto the surface of bone mineral particulates. Ridge preservations were performed at 44 extraction sites in 42 patients (20 males and 22 females). Analyses of clinical parameters and histomorphometric evaluations were conducted to compare the osteogenic effects of the grafts between baseline and 6 months. Results: In the bone grafts of the control group treated without synthetic peptide, new bone formation was only seen around borders and basal areas. However, new bone was observed broadly in the defects of the test group treated with synthetic peptide–coated bone mineral, as seen not only at peripheries but also in the central and coronal parts of bone cores in the defects. The average percentage of new bone formation was significantly higher in the test group (5.3% ± 8.3% versus 10.4% ± 4.6%). The contact percentages between the graft particles and the new bone were 8.2% ± 11.3% for the control group and 20.4% ± 7.5% for the test group (P <0.05). Conclusions: The ridge‐preservation approach using synthetic oligopeptide–coated bone mineral with collagen membrane effectively prevented the resorption of hard tissue with higher bone‐to‐graft contact, and the oligopeptide‐coated bone may be a choice for ridge‐preservation procedures while assuring new bone formation.