Horizontal ridge augmentation with particulate cortico‐cancellous freeze‐dried bone allograft alone or combined with injectable‐platelet rich fibrin in a randomized clinical trial

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of horizontal ridge augmentation using FDBA in combination with injectable‐platelet rich fibrin (i‐PRF) versus FDBA alone. To fulfill this aim, the radiographic and histomorphometric outcomes are compared. Method The study involved 41 patients who had horizontal alveolar ridge defects categorized as either B (2.5–7 mm) or C (0–2.5 mm). The control group received FDBA alone ( n = 20), while the test group received FDBA in combination with i‐PRF ( n = 21). The horizontal dimensions of the alveolar ridge were measured at 0, 2, 4, and 6 mm from the bone crest using CBCT before and 6 months after alveolar ridge augmentation. In the second‐stage surgery, 24 biopsies were taken from the augmented bone — 13 from the control group and 11 from the test group, and were examined histologically and histomorphometrically. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, chi‐square, paired‐ t , and two‐sample t tests. Results There was no significant difference ( p > 0.05) in the increase of mean ridge width between the test group and the control group after 6 months at distances of 0, 2, 4, and 6 mm from the crest, with differences of −0.28, 0.12, 0.52, and 1.04 mm, respectively. However, the amount of newly formed bone and material residues was significantly higher in the FDBA + i‐PRF group compared to the FDBA alone group (45.01% and 13.06% vs 54.03% and 8.48%, respectively). There was no significant difference in the amount of soft tissue between the two groups (41.02% and 37.5%, p > 0.05). Conclusion The study found that there was no statistically significant difference in the increase of horizontal ridge width between the FDBA + i‐PRF group and the FDBA group. However, the histomorphometric analysis revealed that the FDBA + i‐PRF group had a higher proportion of newly formed bone, less connective tissue, and fewer residual particles. This suggests a superior quality of bone formation compared to the FDBA group.