This clinical study evaluated the use of e-PTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethyl-ene) membrane where there were exposed threads at the time of fixture installation. Ten fixtures were placed in 10 patients who had insufficient amounts of alveolar bone. Routine surgical technique was used and measurements were made from a reference point on the fixture to the original bone crest. The e-PTFE membrane was contoured to the surrounding alveolar bone and extended 2 to 3 mm around the fixtures covering the exposed threads. Postoperatively, the patients received oral antibiotics for 10 to 14 days. The membranes were removed at the abutment connection surgery following 4 to 6 months of healing and a new measurement between the reference point and the newly formed bone crest was made. Fixed prosthodontic restorations were made and the patients were followed up for 1 to 3 years. The mean bone-gain was 1.9 mm with a range of 0.5 to 3.0 mm, corresponding to approximately one to five threads. The bone gain was slightly better in the maxilla. The authors suggested that tension from the masseter muscle on the mucoperiosteal flap may interfere with the healing process in the lateral parts of the mandible.
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Dahlin et al. (1992) studied this question.