J. MORITA
Foundation Bone Filling Material
Collagen-based Foundation speeds post-extraction healing and bone growth.
J. Morita’s Foundation is a bone filling augmentation material indicated for use after extractions, providing support for implants, bridges, and dentures. According to the manufacturer, the bovine-atelo collagen-based material is formulated to stimulate growth of the patient’s own bone at an accelerated rate while minimizing antigenicity. Foundation comes in 2 sizes of solid bullet-shaped plugs designed for easy handling and placement in the extraction socket. If desired, the plugs can be trimmed or shaped for a better fit.
Seven dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of Foundation. They rated and commented on features such as speed of healing, ease of placement, and effectiveness/promotion of bone growth.
Speed of Healing
According to the manufacturer, implants may be placed as soon as 8 to 12 weeks after Foundation is placed in the extraction socket. When the evaluators were asked about the importance of speed of healing when choosing a bone augmentation material, 4 said it is very important and 3 said it is important.
The evaluators were then asked to rate the speed of healing of Foundation. Two evaluators rated it as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 2 rated it as good. A New York, NY dentist reported “excellent healing when I used it for a 4-wall defect.” He went on to say, “I’ve followed up every placement with radiographs, and actually had an oral surgeon call me and ask what bone I used. Only 3 months prior, I had removed a tooth and the site was ready with mature bone.”
Ease of Placement
Immediately after extraction and socket curettage, forceps are used to place the Foundation plug on a 2 x 2 gauze pad before insertion into the extraction socket. There is no need to remove the product once it’s placed and no membrane is required.
All 7 evaluators indicated that ease of placement is important or very important to them when choosing a bone augmentation material. When asked to rate Foundation on ease of placement, 6 evaluators rated it as excellent and 1 rated it as very good. The dentist who rated ease of placement as very good, noted that “retention of the plug can be a challenge with bleeding and in sockets that lack a lot of depth.” Another evaluator reported that the material “must be soaked with blood.”
The Foundation bullet-shaped plugs come in 2 sizes—small (8 mm x 25 mm) and medium (15 mm x 25 mm)—and are individually packaged in sterile containers. The plugs can be shaped to mimic the root tip, when needed. When asked about usefulness of the bullet shape and the multiple sizes, 4 evaluators rated it as excellent, 2 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good.
Efficacy
After placement, the Foundation plug is gently condensed into the socket. The surrounding cells and capillaries gradually infiltrate the material. As the socket heals, it’s filled with new augmented bone. Effectiveness/promotion of bone growth was rated as excellent by 4 dentists, as very good by 1, and as good by 2. One dentist described it as “very predictable.”
The evaluators also rated Foundation in terms of its usefulness for general socket/ ridge preservation. Three rated it as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. One dentist said he “wouldn’t use it for situations involving buccal bone loss.” The same dentist said, “It requires that gingiva be able to grow across the top and seal the defect.” Another dentist, with a practice in Yardley, PA, noted that he prefers to use Foundation “for posterior teeth…as the material results in some ridge shrinkage.” He went on to report that it “does a great job in the posterior region when used properly.”
Overall Satisfaction
All 7 dentists said they would definitely purchase Foundation and recommend it to their colleagues. When asked to give their overall satisfaction ranking for Foundation, 5 evaluators rated it as excellent and 2 rated it as very good. A Washington, DC dentist specializing in prosthodontics called Foundation a “revolutionary material to improve wound healing.”
