Osteocel: Eliminate Need for an AutoGraft Due to Unique Properties?

Osteocel shows some great promise. Is it a replacement for a block graft? Well, depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how you go about doing it. You use a block graft when you a solid piece of bone that will turnover slowly and resist compression by the soft tissue and occasional masticatory forces. If you place Osteocel and use a tenting screw and a membrane or use a Ti reinforced membrane- yes it can be used in sites where we would normally block graft. The other advantage of Osteocel is the concentration of stem cells in the product. When compared to PRP is it pretty amazing. PRP will provide about 5k cells/cc, where the 1st generation of Osteocel had 50k cells/cc and the newest version is reported to have up to 250k cells/cc. So is it osteoconductive,inductive and promotive- yes! The other cool thing about it is you can extend it with your particulate of choice up to 50%. That makes teh cost for 1cc very good. I believe it is about $650/cc for the product which makes it much more affordable than BMP(Infuse).

I have been using the product for about 2 years now. It works very well. Not only does it cause robust bone growth it also effects wonderful soft tissue healing. i believe that within 5 years products like this will replace most autogenous bone grafts.

I just re-entered my first two osteocel sites, both mandibular distal extension lateral augmentations. The results were nothing short of spectacular. There was no loss whatsoever of graft height or width. I did use a resorbable membrane (Ace RCM) and tacks to contain the graft. I have now placed implants in each site. The only prblem I had was the bone was so hard I had trouble drilling the osteotomies. I'm sold on this material from what I have seen so far.

I am interested in using Osteocel. Can you guys tell me if you used it in conjuction with another material (FDBA etc) or by itself? How much lateral augmentataion have you been able to achieve (4,5,6mm)?

Whats the diference between Osteocel and freezed bone? I use to use freeze bone many years ago with quite well results but I quit using it because it was a mess and because I was concerned about the saftiness of those unprocessed allografts.

The arrival of OsteoCel is a quantum leap in dental science. When I was a resident stem cells were a pipe dream and pursuit of this kind of tissue engineering often seemed like a search for the Holy Grail. Now, thanks to the excellent support that NuVasive, Inc. affords the clinician, we are truly embarking on a new definition of dentistry. What is emerging is a kind of therapeutic “NewThink” where regeneration replaces repair and, in the case of orthodontic care, surgical alveolar orthopedics replaces compensatory biomechanics . Instead of extracting teeth to compensate for a deformed supporting bone we can now engineer a completely new phenotype upon which we may build a more natural smile. Instead of extracting teeth to build an adolescent smile the patient grows out of (or into dished-in profiles) we can not build an adult smile which the adolescent can grow into. Google: neal murphy, beyond the ligament and citation “in vivo tissue engineering”. - Dr. Neal C. Murphy, Assoc. Clin. Professor, CWRU; Lecturer, UCLA

Thinking about using Osteocel for mandibular distal augmentation. Why hasn't a case been posted since Aug. 2009. Are surgeons getting results with this material. Please advise.