ABSTRACT
Objective Coralline hydroxyapatite (CHA),in comparison with Bio-Oss bone meal,is a material with extensive resources but no immunogenicity or risk of disease-transmission. The aim of this article was to study the clinical application of CHA in ridge preservation in the maxillary anterior zone. Methods Twenty-six patients underwent extraction of maxillary anterior teeth (n=26) for chronic periodontitis or periapical periodontitis. The patients were randomly assigned into a CHA and a control group of equal number to receive ridge preservation with CHA and Bio-Oss bone meal respectively. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was performed immediately and at 4 months after ridge preservation to compare the vertical and horizontal alterations of the alveolar ridge be-tween the two groups of patients. Results After ridge preservation,both the CHA and control groups showed a reduction in the width ([1.1±0.7] vs [1.3±1.9] mm) and height of the alveolar ridge ([1.3±1.6] vs [1.2±1.4] mm),but with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion For ridge preservation in the maxillary anterior zone,CHA has a similar effect to that of Bio-Oss bone meal and therefore is an ideal material for bone graft.