Osteoconduction and Bioresorption of Bone Allograft versus Anorganic Bovine Bone Xenograft: A Histomorphometric Study in Humans

Abstract

This clinical study evaluated the tissue repair process using different bone grafts. Nine dental patients with indication for posterior implantodontic treatment were submitted to maxillary sinus lifting procedures associated to grafting. After 6 months, bone biopsies (6 sites with allogenous bone grafting and 13 sites with bovine xenogenous bone grafting/OsseusTM) were removed and processed for histopathological and histomorphometric analyses (ANOVA and Tukey's test). Both groups had tissue biocompatibility without significant inflammatory response, only punctual presence of multinucleated giant cells in xenograft group. Osteoconductive potential was evidenced by new bone tissue surrounding and in direct contact with the granules of both grafts. Volume density of connective tissue was similar between groups, although there were significant differences in allograft group in comparison to xenograft as the presence of new bone formation (48.50%±13.93 versus 29.83±9.56, respectively, p<0.05) and remnant biomaterial (1.57±2.39 versus 22.23±12.41, respectively, p<0.001), suggesting a greater osteoconductivity and faster bioresorption in the allograft group. These results demonstrate that allogenous bone and OsseusTM can be satisfactorily used as grafts in minor oral surgeries for bone augmentation in humans.