The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedures on bone graft contour after wound closure in lateral ridge augmentation. A total of 48 patients with 63 augmented sites were included in this study. Participants were divided into 4 groups (n = 12 in each group) based on different surgical procedures: group 1: particulate bone substitute + collagen membrane; group 2: particulate bone substitute + collagen membrane + healing cap, group 3: particulate bone substitute + injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) + collagen membrane; group 4: particulate bone substitute + i-PRF + surgical template + collagen membrane. After wound closure, the thickness of labial graft was measured at 0-5 mm apical to the implant shoulder (T0-T5). At T0-T2, the thickness of labial graft in group 4 was significantly higher than the other three groups (p < 0.05). And group 4 showed significantly more labial graft thickness than group 1 and group 2 at T3-T5 (p < 0.05). Within the limitations of this study, the use of i-PRF in combination with the surgical template in GBR may contribute to achieving an appropriate bone graft contour after wound closure.
Keywords: bone defect; computer-aided surgery; guided bone regeneration; lateral ridge augmentation; wound closure.