Martins J R, Wagner T P, Vallim A C et al. Comparison of the efficacy of different techniques to seal the alveolus during alveolar ridge preservation: Meta-regression and network meta-analysis. J Clin Periodontol 2022; DOI: 10.1111/jcpe.13628. Online ahead of print.

Flap advancement and open healing with barrier are efficacious techniques to seal the alveolus during alveolar ridge preservation.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different techniques to seal the alveolus (flap advancement [FA], open healing with barrier [OHB] and open healing without barrier [OHNB]) during alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) in terms of horizontal ridge width resorption. Randomised trials of at least two months' duration comparing at least two techniques to seal the alveolus against each other or against spontaneous healing (SH) were eligible. Twenty-two studies were included. FA and OHB led to significantly lower ridge resorption than SH, resulting in 1.18 mm and 1.10 mm wide alveolar ridges, respectively. No significant difference between OHNB and SH was found. The treatment with the largest probability for ARP was FA (53%), followed by OHB (39%) and OHNB (8%).