A three-arm randomized clinical study will be conducted:~Group 1 (study group): Ridge preservation with Pontic-shield technique.~Group 2 (positive control): Ridge preservation with deproteinized bovine bone and porcine collagen membrane after tooth extraction.~Group 3 (negative control): Tooth extraction only (fresh socket).~A cone-beam computed tomography will be performed prior to tooth extraction and 4 months postoperative. Radiographic changes between before and after intervention will be evaluated to asses the effectiveness of Pontic-shield technique.
Alveolar bone resorption after dental extraction frequently leads to situations in which long-term function and esthetic success of rehabilitations with dental implants is a challenge. Pontic-shield has been described as an alternative technique to maintain alveolar ridge after tooth extraction.~The aim of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of Pontic-shield technique in alveolar ridge preservation comparing to fresh socket and ridge preservation using deproteinized bovine bone and a porcine collagen membrane.