Abstract: Objective To evaluate the clinical outcomes of bone augmentation using digital titanium mesh versus absorbable collagen membrane. Methods From January 2019 to December 2020, 24 patients with Terheyden type 2/4 or 3/4 bone defects were treated at the Department of Oral Implantology, West China Hospital of Stomatology. These patients were divided into two groups: the absorbable collagen membrane group (12 cases) and digital titanium mesh group (12 cases). Both groups underwent guided bone regeneration with absorbable collagen membrane and digital titanium mesh as barrier membranes, respectively. The two-dimensional and three-dimensional measurements of alveolar bone were taken at four time points: pre-surgery (T₁), post- surgery (T₂), before second-stage surgery (T₃), and one year after loading (T₄), to evaluate hard tissue stability. Results Both the absorbable collagen membrane group and the digital titanium mesh group achieved excellent bone augmentation outcomes after surgery. The average single-tooth augmentation was 354.43 mm³ (330.04, 403.93) in the absorbable membrane group, and in the digital titanium mesh group, it was 368.98 mm³ (320.90, 441.61). Although the labial bone in the absorbable collagen membrane group was thicker than in the digital titanium mesh group at T₂, after the healing and loading periods, the digital titanium mesh group exhibited thicker labial bone at all measurement points. Both in the short-term healing and long-term functional phases, the resorption of the labiolingual bone in the digital titanium mesh group was lower than in the absorbable collagen membrane group. Additionally, the digital titanium mesh group showed superior bone preservation results in terms of three-dimensional volume. Conclusion Digital titanium mesh offers superior bone augmentation effects compared to absorbable collagen membranes. It maintains a stable osteogenic space during the early healing phase and exerts a positive influence during the loading phase.

Key words: Titanium mesh, Guided bone regeneration, Resorbable collagen membrane, Bone augmentation