Socket-shield technique for implant placement to stabilize the facial gingival and osseous architecture: A systematic review

The aim of the present study was to establish the efficacy of the socket-shield technique (SST) for the stabilization of the facial gingival and osseous architecture. An electronic search including the Cochrane databases, EBSCOhost, Medline/PubMed and Web of Science was performed. Articles related to SST for placing dental implants were included. Articles and abstracts not written in English were excluded. The initial literature search resulted in 113 articles related to questions raised. Hand searching of the journals related to implants and cross-referencing related to SST within the selected articles resulted in 1 more paper. Finally, 20 full texts and abstract of 1 article were included in the present systematic review: 11 case reports, 6 case series, 1 human randomized control trial (RCT), 1 technical report and 2 animal RCT. Recent modifications in SST, along with long follow-up studies with increased sample size, provided promising results. This systematic review still recommends that SST should not be used in routine clinical practise until a higher level of evidence established. Further RCT on SST are required to establish the clinical efficacy of this technique.