GI's Bone-Promotor Clears Feasibility Test

Genetics Institute has announced preliminary results from a feasibility study which support the use of its recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP-2) to stimulate new bone growth for dental procedures.

rhBMP-2 was used to replace bone grafting in maxillary sinus floor augmentation. This is a procedure which increases the height of bone in the posterior upper jaw where teeth are missing, so that dental implants can be placed. The current method of treatment is bone grafting using bone from the patient's hip, which is an expensive procedure and causes significant discomfort to the patient.

The data will be presented more fully on March 15 at the 7th Annual Implant Symposium in San Francisco, USA, and on March 22 at the Ohio North Shore Dental Meeting in Cleveland. In the meantime, GI notes that rhBMP-2 implantation led to new, healthy bone formation in all 12 patients tested, and 10 of them experienced sufficient bone growth to secure dental implants. No inflammatory reactions were observed and the procedure was well-tolerated by all patients. Larger confirmatory studies are now planned.