Introduction: Alveolar bone seems to play a key role in providing support to the teeth, which are anchored to the bone by desmodontal fibers. The progressive alveolar bone resorption process occurs due to a loss of anatomic, biologic and mechanical factors. Mechanical stimulation of alveolar bone during mastication is crucial in keeping the teeth and underlying bone healthy. Tooth extraction leads to typical bone deficiency of ridge width and height of alveolar crest and reduces the possibility of placing screw titanium implants. When tooth extraction is necessary, trauma should be minimized during the procedure and bone preservation should receive careful attention. The literature has shown that early bone loss can be significantly reduced by socket grafting. The process of socket grafting requires an understanding of wound healing and an appreciation of the biological properties of the products available for socket grafting. Augmentative measures may, thus, be required to guarantee optimal prosthetic replacement of the lost tissue. Success or failure of augmentation procedures is dependent on revascularization and remodelling of the grafted bone into a vital, load bearing bone. In contrast to a visible three-dimensional change, the concept of remodelling refers to the internal turnover of bone, which is a coupled process where osteoclastic resorption and osteoblastic formation are more or less balanced. To restore alveolar bone loss and support efficient placement of dental implants, many different bone substitute such as autografts, allografts, xenografts, synthetic biomaterials and osteoactive agents have been proposed. In order to avoid harvesting an autograft, and thereby eliminating additional surgical procedures and risks, bone grafting materials and substitutes are alternative filler materials to be used for ridge augmentation.
Purpose: To present a literature review about biomaterials applicable in alveolar ridge sockets preservation to future implants insertion.
Conclusion: The maintenance of the dental alveolar bone after extraction depend on the attentive surgery procedure and the use of materials capable to maintain the prior space and be helpful in bone tissue healing.