Ultrasound for Socket Healing Evaluation

The design is a single blinded, dual comparative study of ultrasound versus micro-CT/LASCA in one study group. Up to a total of 140 subjects registered will be recruited. Subjects who are treatment planned for extraction of a hopeless tooth and socket augmentation with bone graft and are planned for a dental implant surgery. Qualified subjects will be asked during their pre-assessment visit. Subjects will be scanned with ultrasound and LASCA among other assessments shown in the info-graph and schedule of events. At the day of tooth extraction and socket augmentation (graft placement), clinical exams/measurements are taken, along with other research activities described in the info-graph and schedule of events. Recovery (checkups) from surgery will be monitored at 2 weeks, 1 month and 2 months, and 3 months. The timepoints additional to normal clinical timepoints are needed to gather potentially diagnostic valuable information about graft maturation, which in the future may lead to an early graft failure decision or trigger other clinical steps such as infection management.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients at least 18 years of age and have at least a tooth that is considered hopeless, planned for an extraction and a bone grafting procedure for subsequent dental implant surgery.

Exclusion criteria

• Patients not willing or not able to have an extraction, bone graft and subsequent implant surgery due to health, finance, or any other reasons.