Autogenous calvarium bone grafting as a treatment for severe bone resorption in the upper maxilla: a case report

Atrophic maxilla rehabilitation has been the subject of several studies for decades; despite this, there are still many different therapeutic choices for the best way to treat maxillary resorption in order to enable implant placement and integration. These possibilities include the optimal use of remaining bone structures, such as the pterygoid processes or zygomatic arch, which involves using zygomaticus and pterygoid implants in combination with standard implants placed in the residual bone; alternatively, regenerative techniques, alveolar bone expansion/distraction or bone grafting techniques may be used. Severe maxillary atrophy has a multifactorial aetiology; the most important factors being long evolution edentulism, hyperpneumatization of the maxillary sinus, post-traumatic deficit, bone loss after surgery (tumours, cysts) and periodontal problems or infection. In this report, we present a clinical case of onlay block reconstruction in an atrophic maxilla with harvested cranial calvarium bone grafts for successful future implant-supported oral rehabilitation.