Both surgical and non-surgical techniques are employed for implant site development. However, the efficacy of these methods has not been thoroughly evaluated and compared. This systematic review aims to compare the biologic, functional and esthetic outcomes of three different approaches before implant placement in both the maxillary and mandibular arches: orthodontic extrusion, regenerative surgery and spontaneous healing after extraction. The systematic research of articles was conducted up to January 2020 in Medline, Scopus and the Cochrane Library databases. Studies were selected in a three-stage process according to the title, the abstract and the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality and the risk of bias of the included studies were evaluated using ROBINS-I tools for non-randomized studies, Rob 2.0 for RCT. Quality evaluation of case reports was performed using CARE guidelines. Through the digital search, 1607 articles were identified, and 25 of them were included in the systematic review. The qualitative evaluation showed a good methodological quality for RCT, sufficient for non-randomized studies and poor for case reports. Based on the available results, both orthodontic extrusion and regenerative surgery allowed the development of the implant site with satisfying esthetic and functional outcomes. Studies about the spontaneous healing of the extraction socket showed resorption of the edentulous ridge, which complicated the implant insertion. No study referred to failures or severe complications. Most of the studies reported only qualitative results. The present systematic review demonstrated that there is a substantial lack of data and evidence to determine which of the presented methods is better for developing a future implant site. Both surgical and non-surgical procedures appear effective in the regeneration of hard tissue, whereas not all the techniques can improve soft tissue volume, too. The orthodontic technique simultaneously enhances both hard and soft tissue.
Keywords: clinical quality; dental materials; extraction socket; implant site development; orthodontic extrusion; regenerative surgery; spontaneous healing.