Autogenous bone grafting for treatment of osseous defect after impacted mandibular third molar extraction: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Extraction of impacted mandibular third molar (M3) has been cited as causing osseous defect at the distal aspect of the adjacent second molar (M2). Purpose This randomized controlled trial was aimed to evaluate the effect of autogenous bone grafting in situ for regeneration of periodontal osseous defect distal to the M2 compared with non‐grafting after impacted M3 removal. Materials and Methods A total of 60 sites in 51 adult patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the control group or the test group. In both groups, the M3 was extracted using a piezosurgical device, and the distal root surface of M2 was scaled and root planned. In addition, the removed alveolar bone was grinded to particles and grafted to the distal osseous defect of M2 in the test group. The primary outcome variable was the osseous defect depth (ODD), the secondary outcome variables were probing pocket depth (PD) and clinical attachment level (CAL) on the disto‐buccal aspect of the M2 during a 12‐month follow‐up period. Postoperative symptom at 7‐day postoperatively and adverse events were also recorded and analyzed. Results The patient characteristics were homogeneous between the 2 groups. Six and 12 months after surgery, there were statistically significant bone fill in both groups ( P ＜ .01). Moreover, the ODD and CAL in the test group were significantly lower than the control group at every postoperative re‐entry ( P ＜ .01). The postoperative symptom was more severe in the test group than the control group, but the difference was not significant ( P > .05). Conclusions The result of this study demonstrated that scaling and root planning was beneficial to periodontal healing of M2 after impacted M3 extraction. Addition of autogenous bone grafting for the treatment of osseous defects distal to M2 was safe and more effective than periodontal treatment alone. (Registry Number: ChiCTR‐IOC‐15006561)