Regeneration of Chronic Alveolar Vertical Defects Using a Micro Dosage of rhBMP‐2. An Experimental In Vivo Study

ABSTRACT Objective The objective of this study is to compare the effect of the location of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP‐2) from the native bone and the periosteum for vertical alveolar bone augmentation. Materials and Methods Mandibular, chronic, standardized, bilateral, and vertical defects in 12 beagle dogs were evaluated using four modalities: a xenograft alone (XENO; n = 6); rhBMP‐2 alone (BMP; n = 6); a technique with rhBMP‐2 close to the host bone covered by xenograft (SAN; n = 6); and a technique with rhBMP‐2 close to the flap on top of the xenograft (LAS; n = 6). After 8 weeks, a series of in vivo inspections, fluorescence microscopy, histologic and histomorphometric evaluations, and micro‐CT analyses. Results After 8 weeks of healing, new bone formation correlated with proximity of rhBMP to the perforated membrane with BMP and LAS ( p = 0.024). The highest total bone volume was found in the LAS group (45.1% ± 13.3%), followed by the SAN group (35.2% ± 6.7%), BMP group (33.1% ± 11.8%), followed by the XENO group (23.1% ± 6.5%). The SAN group demonstrated frequent seroma formation. Blood vessel formation was more pronounced in the LAS + rhBMP group, with a significant increase of 27.1% compared to the XENO group ( p = 0.02). Micro‐CT revealed a strong trend for higher bone volume in the BMP group (34.7%) compared to the XENO group (13.6%) ( p = 0.06). Only rhBMP‐2 groups demonstrated bone formation above the perforated membrane. Conclusion The location of rhBMP‐2 in relation to the biomaterial and periosteum influenced the effectiveness of vertical bone regeneration.