ABSTRACT
Background@#The aim of this multicenter, randomized, open-label, comparative, investigator-blinded study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) combined with β-TCP (rhBMP-2/β-TCP) in alveolar ridge preservation. @*Materials and methods@#Eighty-four subjects from three centers were enrolled in this clinical trial. After tooth extraction, rhBMP-2/β-TCP (n = 41, test group) or β-TCP (n = 43, control group) were grafted to the extraction socket with an absorbable barrier membrane for alveolar ridge preservation. Using computed tomography images obtained immediately after and 12 weeks after surgery, changes in the alveolar bone height and width were analyzed for each group and compared between the two groups. @*Results@#Both the test and control groups showed a significant decrease in alveolar bone height in the 12 weeks after surgery (both groups, p < 0.0001). However, the test group exhibited a significantly lower decrease in alveolar bone height than the control group (p = 0.0004). Alveolar bone width also showed significantly less resorption in the test group than in the control group for all extraction socket levels (ESL) (p = 0.0152 for 75% ESL; p < 0.0001 for 50% ESL; p < 0.0001 for 25% ESL). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups. No severe adverse events occurred in either group. @*Conclusions@#The results of this study suggest that rhBMP-2/β-TCP is a safe graft material that provides a high alveolar bone preservation effect in patients receiving dental extraction.