A study published in International Journal of Dentistry reveals that the overall survival and success rates of the inserted implants by using titanium meshes in guided bone regeneration (GBR) are 98.3% and 85.25% respectively, which makes it a predictable method for the rehabilitation of complex atrophic sites.
Dr. Briguglio and colleagues performed a systematic review of the literature on PubMed published between 1998 and 2018 and selected six articles that were most relevant to their study to evaluate the reliability of using titanium meshes in GBR.
The team discovered that using a non-resorbable titanium mesh as a membrane in bone regeneration offers many advantages over a resorbable membrane. Firstly, titanium mesh holds its shape and maintains space between the membrane and the defect. More importantly, the microporous quality of titanium mesh means it can better prevent soft tissue ingrowth, and therefore can better facilitate metabolic processes and tissue nutrition.
The main complication related to the use of titanium membrane is the splitting of soft tissues with the consequent exposure of the mesh. Although several studies have shown that titanium meshes can tolerate a certain degree of exposure - from 5.3% to 52% depending on the studies - without affecting the implant results, procedures to reduce the rate of membrane exposure are necessary if optimal results are to be achieved. Several techniques are discussed in the review such as the application of platelet-rich plasma to the mesh.
Finally, the authors conclude that the use of titanium mesh is a predictable method for bone regeneration, given that the implant survival and success rates are relatively high. However, they also acknowledge that limitations such as soft tissue splitting and membrane exposure require further investigation and examination.
Read the full article here >>
This blog post is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY). Illustration by David Jury.