Use of Collagen Tape as a membrane for guided bone regeneration?

If he wants to grow bone that's not going to work. He should charge appropriately and use the correct material.

It depends on the grafting material used. If using tcp/ CaSO4 then even collagen tape is not required most of the times. I will wait for Peter Fairbairn to comment on it. He is kind off authority on synthetic subsitute use.

Ben mentioned a valid point. It depends on the bone substitute used. Calcium sulfate can be used as a barrier over bone allografts. It is well documented in the literature thas the barrier membrane should be cell occlusive to prevent soft tissue ingrowth into the graft for a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to allow time for the bone substitute to turn into bone and avoid a reduced bone volume. Collagen tape does not have those properties. Sounds like you are on the right track. Use the materials that are appropriate for the goals you want to achieve and backed by the literature.

From the principles of guided bone regeneration, I believe most of these comments are valid - a. in general you need to protect the graft for a minimum of 6-8 weeks but b. it depends on the graft material being used. You can also argue that, if dealing with a four-walled socket, you only really need to achieve soft tissue closure, which can be achieved by a resorbable collagen material and, to this end, I am currently involved with a study with a different material which will achieve very rapid soft tissue healing over four-walled defects with, so far, good clinical results, although we await the first cores, when the implants are placed, to see how the bone healing looks!

Thanks Ben , yes this is an interesting area as it is the interface for the healing process where the defect site meets the healing properties ( Blood and host BMPs ) of the periosteum . As I have covered issues at length in the topic 4 questions down we will not go through it again but discuss membranes and the timing of host healing process. By Collagen wound dressing , I assume you mean a collagen fleece which normally resorbs in a few days and thus has very limited barrier function . The ideal timing of soft tissues "barriers" is 3- 4 weeks which plays nicely into the hands of CaSo4 . It is also allows vascular ingrowth which improves as it resorbs . But Back to the question if you are using a graft material that requires a collagen membrane then use one to prevent fibrous tissue as per manufacturer instructions as a fleece will not suffice in this function. The whole notion of soft tissue ingrowth itself may be flawed and needs more research ( We are doing two animal studies at the moment in this area ) as the fibrous tissue may be as a result of graft instability ( mesenchymal cells differentiating to Fibroblasts rather than Osteoblasts ) or poor site preparation with residual granulation tissue. Just some thoughts . Peter

HI Any good CaSO4 ( Bond BOne , Dentogen etc ) just mix it with the Allograft (60% to 40 % Caso4 ) and allow for 3 weeks soft tissue healing to get a good closure for optimal results . Regards Peter

I am going to let you in on a little secret....years ago, when membranes were much more expensive....I did a little research project.... While visiting the plumbing section of my local building supply store, I stumbled upon Teflon in the plumbing section...and read the manufacturer's information sheet...... not regular thin Teflon, but PTFE Thread Seal tape that is used in the food industry for sealing pipes in the production of milk, used in hospitals for anaesthetic gas lines, etc...... the properties are identical to medical grade Teflon. We buy it in rolls, cut it into short pieces ( as the conventional PTFE membrane sizes) place it in sterilization bags... and autoclave them. We had them tested in the hospital for sterility, and having no deleterious affects when placed in wound dressings. I published an article on this technique in Implant News & Views September/October 2003...........they function as well as any commercially available PTFE membrane, and will last about a month before breaking down into overchewed gum.....which is then pulled out like an overstretched elastic band. We have been using this material for more than 14 years, we use it for extractions to stop bleeding, covering grafted sites where a nonresorbable membrane is indicated, cover titanium mesh at time of placement which will become exposed,etc.... and the actual cost per membrane is less than 10 cents..... Gerald Rudick dds Montreal, Canada