Use of alveolar distraction osteogenesis for implant placement: a case report with eight-year follow-up

Insufficient alveolar ridge width may impede the success of dental implants. Techniques for resolving this problem include autologous bone grafts, guided bone regeneration, bone splitting and bone spreading techniques. Recently, alveolar distraction osteogenesis has become an alternative method for alveolar augmentation. We propose the use of alveolar bone distraction for insufficient alveolar ridge width. A healthy 33-year-old female presented with missing teeth to our clinic. Clinical and radiographic examination revealed the alveolar ridge was too narrow for placement of dental implants. Therefore, horizontal distraction osteogenesis of the posterior mandibular ridge was chosen for augmentation. Two months later, two implants were placed. No significant marginal bone resorption was seen around the implants eight years after placement. Our results indicate that horizontal alveolar distraction is recommended to increase ridge width and allow placement of standard dental implants.