Objective:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether post-extraction sockets treated with alveolar preservation (AP) using allograft as filling material have less dimensional changes than sockets filled with other biomaterials or those not treated with AP. It is also intended to compare which type of allograft presents better results.

Methods:

Electronic and manual searches for randomized clinical trials in humans were performed from January 2012 to October 2023 inclusive. The databases consulted were MEDLINE (PubMed), Scielo and Cochrane Library. Meta-analyses were performed to evaluate the changes (in mm) in the width and height of the alveolar crest after performing AP with allograft compared to xenograft and blood clot (no AP performed).

Results:

A total of fourteen randomized clinical trials were included in the qualitative analysis. Ten of them were quantitatively analyzed. Meta-analyses showed a statistically significant difference between allograft versus xenograft in terms of alveolar crest width after AP. A statistically significant difference was also detected between allograft and blood clot (or no AP) in terms of alveolar crest height change after AP.

Conclusions:

The use of allografts for AP performance presents superior results compared to leaving the blood clot (no AP) or using xenograft as filling material. It cannot be concluded that the use of allograft presents advantages over other biomaterials, nor can we affirm which type of allograft presents better results since more studies of higher methodological quality are necessary.

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