Alveolar ridge augmentation: combining bioresorbable scaffolds with osteoinductive bone grafts in atrophic sites. A...

When a tooth or teeth are lost, the 3-dimensional (3-D) atrophy of alveolar ridges predictably ensues. This commonly precludes placement of dental implants, or at least complicates their insertion into favorable positions. Numerous methods of alveolar ridge augmentation have evolved, including blocks of autogenous bone-harvested from intra- and extraoral sources- being fixed to the resorbed ridge, and particulate grafts of autogenous, allogeneic, xenograft, or alloplasts, which are often combined with barrier membranes (guided bone regeneration GBR). Ridge-splitting techniques, where the narrow bone is fractured in a green-stick manner--often combined with exogenous grafts and GBR--is also commonly performed. This article will demonstrate a technique where a resorbable mesh (PLGA) is combined with an osteoinductive protein (rhBMP-2) and a readily acquired bone allograft (FDBA) to reconstruct severely resorbed alveolar ridges to facilitate prosthetically guided implant placement.