Reconstruction of the severely resorbed (Class VI) jaws: routine or exception?

After disappointing results with conventional preprosthetic procedures endosseous implants in combination with alveolar ridge augmentation opened up new prospects in reconstructive surgery. A total of 64 patients who underwent three-dimensional reconstruction of the alveolar ridge and insertion of endosseous implants for severe resorption were evaluated retrospectively. Despite the postoperative infection rate of 20.3% (13 patients), only 4.1% of the 266 inserted implants were lost in the long term. This indicates that augmentation using free autogenous iliac bone grafts and implants have a success rate of approximately 96% despite difficult initial situations. This success was mainly related to the soft tissue condition covering the graft. A technique for soft tissue dissection, especially in the maxilla, is presented.