Periosteum coverage versus collagen-membrane coverage in periodontally accelerated osteogenic orthodontics: a randomized controlled clinical trial in Class II and Class III malocclusions

BACKGROUND: Periodontal accelerated osteogenic orthodontics (PAOO) is a widely-used clinical procedure that combines selective alveolar corticotomy, particulate bone grafting, and the application of orthodontic forces. Different modifications of PAOO such as collagen-membrane coverage can better benefit patients from preventing displacement of grafts. Due to its stability, collagen-membrane coverage gradually gained popularity and became a widely-used procedure in traditional PAOO technique. OBJECTIVES: To quantitatively investigate the radiographic changes of alveolar bone, periodontal soft tissue changes of the mandibular anterior teeth and postoperative complications in periosteum-covered techniques compared with traditional surgical technique in PAOO. METHODS: Orthodontic camouflage for dental Class II or decompensation for skeletal Class III malocclusions were included; Patients with bone defects on the buccal aspects of the anterior mandible regions confirmed by clinical and radiographic examination were randomly divided into the periosteum coverage group or traditional technique group for PAOO. Cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) scans were obtained before treatment (T0) and 1 week (T1) and 12 months (T2) after operation. The primary outcome variable was the vertical alveolar bone level (VBL), the secondary evaluation parameters included labial horizontal bone thickness at the midpoint of the middle third (MHBT) or apical third (AHBT) to the limit of the labial cortical surface during a 12-month follow-up. Postoperative sequelae were evaluated after 2 days and 7 days in both the groups. Periodontal parameters were analyzed at T0 and T2. RESULTS: Thirty-six adult subjects were eligible and recruited in the present study. Although experimental group exhibited more severe infection, no significant differences of the postoperative symptoms or periodontal parameters was found between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). All patients were examined respectively using CBCT at baseline (T0), postoperative 1 week (T1) and 12 months (T2). Both alveolar bone height and width increased from T0 to T1 (P < 0.001) and then reduced from T1 to T2 (P < 0.001) in both groups. However, significant bone augmentation was achieved in each group from T0 to T2 (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the vertical alveolar bone augmentation in the experimental group increased significantly than that in the traditional surgery (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with traditional PAOO surgery, the periosteum-covered technique provides superior graft stabilization and satisfactory vertical bone augmentation in the labial mandibular anterior area. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-022-02477-8.