Board-certified periodontist and educator Irina F. Dragan, DDS, DMD, MS, eMBA, has strategically integrated Impladent’s OsteoGen® regenerative products into her clinical workflow recently in various therapeutic indications.
“I’ve been using the OsteoGen Bone Grafting Plug for more than 2 years now,” says Dragan, who runs a Boston-based practice limited to periodontology and implant dentistry. She was initially drawn to the bone grafting solution for non-implant extraction sites but gradually expanded its use. “Seeing the favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes, I started to integrate OsteoGen Plug into my alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) procedures prior to implant placement.”
The OsteoGen Plug—a graft-infused hybrid material—streamlines socket preservation by combining bone graft and collagen in a single step. “The ARP procedure can be quite technique sensitive,” Dragan, who teaches at both Tufts and Harvard dental schools, explains. “By using a combined material in one step, this product simplifies ARP. Clinicians can focus on packing the graft and eliminate the need of suturing a membrane in place.”
Ease of handling is another key benefit of the resorbable mineralized collagen hybrid bone grafting plug, Dragan says. “It doesn’t stick to the surgical instruments, and you can use a bone plugger to adapt it nicely into the bony defect.” This handling advantage, she suggests, translates to predictable placement and adaptability in a variety of clinical scenarios.
Not needing a separate membrane opens various possibilities for the use of OsteoGen Plug. “It is especially beneficial for ARP procedures with four walls present, or when the patient has a thick phenotype,” Dragan says. “I also use it for smaller guided tissue regeneration defects, particularly in minimally invasive cases where it can be hydrated with a growth factor and we are aiming to minimize flap access.”
Dragan recently started using OsteoGen Plug in the treatment of peri-implant defects. “Similar to demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft, as the healing advances for OsteoGen Plug one can observe the positive radiographic changes from a radiolucent to a radiopaque appearance,” she says.
Dragan, who plans to also incorporate OsteoGen Strips into her treatment protocols, notes that she has been able to revisit ARP sites treated with the OsteoGen Plug and successfully place implants. “I’ve been satisfied with the clinical and radiographic results and the histological analysis of some of the biopsy cores taken at implant placement,” she reports.
In addition to restorative dentists integrating OsteoGen Plug for ARP procedures and site development for single implant placement, Dragan considers the bone grafting product an asset for periodontists and oral maxillofacial surgeons as well. “I think this material has the potential to unlock solutions to various therapeutic indications and act as a carrier for growth factors in challenging clinical situations.”
Clinicians are invited to review Dr. Dragan’s case report in the July/August issue of Compendium, where the use of OsteoGen Plug is demonstrated in a combined ARP and GTR defect. Visit compendiumlive.com/go/cced2100.
Irina F. Dragan, DDS, DMD, MS, eMBA
Private Practice limited to Periodontology and Implant Dentistry, Boston, Massachusetts; Faculty Member, Tufts University and Harvard University
The OsteoGen® Plug is a graft-infused hybrid material that streamlines socket preservation by combining bone graft and collagen in a single step.
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