Management of the exposure of a dense PTFE (d-PTFE) membrane in guided bone regeneration (GBR): a case report

• Published in: Oral & implantology Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 335 - 342
• Main Authors: Ghensi, P, Stablum, W, Bettio, E, Soldini, M C, Tripi, T R, Soldini, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Italy CIC Edizioni Internazionali 01.07.2017
• Subjects: Case Report; guided bone regeneration; vertical bone augmentation; heterologous biomaterials; dental implant therapy
• ISSN: 1974-5648; 2035-2468; 2035-2468
• DOI: 10.11138/orl/2017.10.3.335

Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is a well-established and generally predictable method for repairing alveolar ridge defects and preparing edentulous sites for implant placement. Standard GBR involves filling the space underneath a membrane with autogenous bone or a mixture composed of autogenous bone particles and allogeneic bone tissue or heterologous biomaterials. The use of a barrier membrane for GBR has sometimes been associated with complications, however - reportedly involving exposure, infection, and collapse - and the non-resorbable types of membrane seem to be involved more often than the resorbable solutions. Such complications may be severe enough to defeat the object of the GBR procedure. A non-resorbable high-density polytetrafluoroethylene (d-PTFE) membrane has recently been designed specifically for use in bone-augmentation procedures that seems to assure a good bone regeneration process even when the membrane is exposed to the oral cavity. This case report describes an exposure of a d-PTFE membrane occurring after a maxillary GBR procedure and how it was overcome successfully, enabling implants insertion.