Ridge Preservation With FDBA (Freeze Dried Bone Allograft) Using Dexamethasone vs. Saline

Histologic Evaluation of Wound Healing After Ridge Preservation Using Allograft Hydrated With Dexamethasone Versus Saline

Following the removal of a tooth, a bone graft is often placed in the socket to try to maintain the volume of bone that was there when the tooth was present so that the bone does not "shrink". The bone graft is kept in place with a small piece of material over the top of the tooth socket and with stitches. This procedure is called "Ridge Preservation". Many different materials are used for ridge preservation, including bone allografts (bone grafts derived from a human tissue donor). These bone allografts are dehydrated (dried) during processing. Before using the material in the socket, the material is re-hydrated (wetted). The most common hydrating (wetting) agent is normal saline (sterile salt water), but other hydrating agents such as blood can also be used. The bone allograft used in this study is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Tooth Extraction; Bone Graft
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Dexamethasone 4mg/ml solution

Detailed Description

In this study, the investigators are examining if there is any difference in new bone formation in the tooth socket when the bone allograft placed after tooth extraction is hydrated with a solution of dexamethasone rather than normal saline. Dexamethasone is a steroid that is used routinely in medicine and dentistry as an inflammatory medication which can decrease things like swelling or pain. In this study, after removing the tooth the bone allograft will be hydrated in either saline or dexamethasone solution and then placed into the socket. After healing, a dental implant will later be placed at the same site. The graft material is used as part of standard care in dental practices, but it is not clear if the healing following use of allograft hydrated in dexamethasone is similar or different to hydrating with saline.

At the end of this study the researchers hope to learn the following: How much new bone formation occurs inside the tooth socket at approximately 16 weeks of healing after ridge preservation with allograft hydrated in either saline or dexamethasone solution?

This will be done by examining the bone retrieved from the implant site during the placement of the implant at study visit #5. This bone is normally removed during the drilling of the implant site and discarded as part of standard care. As part of this study, the bone specimen will be removed as normal but will not be discarded; instead, it will be analyzed for the purpose of this research study.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 44
• Phase: Early Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
      • UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female patient aged 18 to 89
• One tooth, excluding molars, that has been identified by dental faculty as requiring a single tooth extraction
• A dental implant is indicated and treatment planned to replace the missing tooth
• Site has adequate restorative space for a dental implant-retained restoration
• Site has at least 10mm of alveolar bone height, without impinging on the maxillary sinus or inferior alveolar canal.
• Site has a dehiscence of the buccal or lingual bony plate of the tooth socket extending no more than 50% of the total depth of the socket.
• Female patients who have undergone a hysterectomy, tubal ligation, or menopause, and non-pregnant women of child-bearing potential.
• Patients are nonsmokers or former smokers. Current smokers may be included if they smoke <10 cigarettes per day

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient allergic to dexamethasone
• Will not cooperate with the follow-up schedule.
• Patients will not be entered who are mentally incompetent, prisoners, or pregnant.
• Pregnant women or women intending to become pregnant during the study period (as confirmed verbally; an over-the-counter pregnancy test will be provided if pregnancy status is unknown or suspected). Patients who become pregnant during the study will be withdrawn and standard care will be delivered.
• Smokers who smoke >10 cigarettes per day
• Clinical and/or radiographic determinations which will preclude inclusion in this study are: Active infection other than periodontitis; Inadequate bone dimensions or restorative space for a dental implant; Presence of a disease entity, condition or therapeutic regimen which decreases probability of soft tissue and bony healing, e.g., poorly controlled diabetes, chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive agents, autoimmune diseases, history of bisphosphonate use or long-term steroid therapy.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Ridge preservation test group; Patients will be randomized to one of the experimental treatment group immediately following tooth extraction and debridement of the socket (test: hydration of allograft with 4mg/1ml dexamethasone solution)	Drug: Dexamethasone 4mg/ml solution; The study intervention dexamethasone solution (4mg/ml) is used to hydrate bone allograft.; Other Names: Dexamethasone
No Intervention: Ridge preservation control group; Patients will be randomized to the control group immediately following tooth extraction and debridement of the socket (control: hydration of allograft with normal saline solution)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of Bone Formation	Difference in percentage of new bone formation at 16 weeks (±2 weeks) after ridge preservation is performed using a combination freeze-dried bone allograft (70% mineralized FDBA:30% demineralized FDBA) that is hydrated for 5 minutes in either sterile saline (control group) or a 4mg/ml dexamethasone solution (test group).	Baseline to 16 weeks (±2 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ridge Width	Measurement of change in ridge width after healing	Baseline to 16 weeks (±2 weeks)
Buccal Ridge Height	Measurement of change in ridge height after healing	Baseline to 16 weeks (±2 weeks)
Lingual Ridge Height	Measurement of change in lingual ridge height after healing	Baseline to 16 weeks (±2 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Brian L Mealey, DDS, MS, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 16, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 8, 2026
• Study Completion (Actual): January 8, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 13, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 13, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): August 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 22, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 20, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Dexamethasone; Allograft; Ridge preservation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pharmaceutical Preparations; Polycyclic Compounds; Pregnadienes; Pregnanes; Steroids; Fused-Ring Compounds; Steroids, Fluorinated; Pregnadienetriols; Dexamethasone; Solutions
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00000655

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will be de-identified prior to being shared with other investigators that are not part of the study team. If the results of this study are published in a peer review journal, participants will not be identified.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: At study completion when the results are published in a peer review journal
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No