Bone tissue reactions to demineralized freeze-dried bone in conjunction with e-PTFE barrier membranes in man.

Demineralized freeze-dried bone (DFDB) has been demonstrated to be osteoinductive in rodents, while no new bone formation has been reported at ectopic sites in goats, dogs and monkeys. In the present study, DFDB was used in connection with dental implant placement and expanded polytetrafluorethylene (e-PTFE) membranes. Histological examination showed that DFDB particles near the host bone underwent a partial remineralization, while DFDB distant from pre-existing bone was slowly resorbed and showed no remineralization, no osteoinduction, and no osteoconduction. This could be due either to the fact that the response to osteoinductive stimuli is lower in higher species, or to the fact that large quantities of DFDB are required to provide sufficient quantities of bone morphogenetic protein.