Surgical wound healing quantitative assessment method: the case of dental implant placement using a modified guided bone regeneration technique. Part II

Relevance . The guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique during dental implant treatment, if alveolar bone/part of the jaws is lost, stands out for its effective potential, the main factor of which is the possibility of the necessary bone volume restoration having morphofunctional signs of organotypicity. The prognosis effectiveness of such reconstruction outcome directly depends on the wound process characteristics. The variability of the latter, subject to an unbiased quantitative assessment, can be essential for predictive analysis and prognosis. Aim . The study aimed to develop a technique for quantitative assessment of surgical wound healing (exemplified with an extracted tooth socket), described in the first part of the publication. Materials and methods . The clinical study involved 20 patients of both sexes diagnosed with the condition after dental implantation and reconstruction of the alveolar bone volume using the GBR technique modified by the formation of a situational vicryl framework (SVF). We determined the following parameters: independent and dependent variables, with their indirect mutually dependent influence on a favourable, compromised or unfavourable treatment outcome, based on the wound healing process follow-up and assessment of immediate results in the early, middle and late postoperative period − up to 1 month, and the analysis of delayed – from 1 month to 1 year, and long-term – over one year. These variables are characterized as quantitative indicators – biomarkers, processed by the correlation and regression analysis using the Gretl statistical package. Results . The study revealed a direct correlation regarding all parameters as independent (factor) and dependent (effect) variables necessary for quantifying the wound healing process variability. The created linear regression model confirmed the empirically observed and theoretically substantiated idea of the reciprocal influence of normal and pathological variations of wound healing process on an outcome of dental implantation in the reconstruction of the alveolar bone defect. The correlation and regression analysis for an unbiased quantitative assessment of surgical wound healing demonstrated the statistically explicable behaviour of dependent variables at a 95% le vel. Conclusion . The correlation and regression analysis performed using the presented data indicates a direct correlation between the parameters of a favourable, compromised and unfavourable outcome of dental implantation during the reconstruction of the alveolar bone volume using the GBR technique modified by the formation of SVF and variables expressed by biomarkers, such as the initial complexity of clinical conditions, duration of surgery, mechanical load of the wound, bio-reactive properties of the additional materials required in the w ound.