Efficacy of Spongy Xenogeneic Scaffold Loaded with Simvastatin in the Treatment of Severe Alveolar Horizontal Defect: A Clinical and Histological Study

Abstract

Background: Bone tissue engineering offers several advantages for repairing skeletal defects. In this study, we designed and fabricated  a scaffold for bone tissue engineering in patients with horizontal alveolar defect.

Aim: The items included in the fabrication of the  scaffold were xenogenic bone graft, gelatin as a substrate to improve the physical integrity of scaffold, and simvastatin to stimulate osteogenesis (10 mg per 1 g of xenograft).

Methods: Fourteen patients with a horizontal defect in the alveolar ridge were enrolled in the  study. Seven patients underwent routinely guided bone regeneration (GBR) using xenogenic bone graft plus collagenous membrane, and  seven patients were treated with the scaffolds. After four months of follow-up after surgery, both the scaffold and GBR groups were  examined for changes in the width of alveolar ridge and histologically for the quantity of newly produced bone.

Results: The newly  designed scaffold showed superior osteoconduction characteristics to routine GBR materials, which were used in this study. The  difference in the quantity of the newly produced bone between the scaffold group and GBR group was significant and higher for the  scaffold group. Regarding newly produced bone percentage, the scaffold group showed a mean of 20.93 and the GBR group presented a  mean of 13.25% (P = 0.004). Also, the mean value for the duration of surgery for GBR was 45 minutes and for scaffold was 22 minutes,  which was significantly lower in the scaffold group (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The newly designed scaffold is a suitable treatment modality  for bone tissue engineering.