The Palatal Bone Block Graft for Onlay Grafting Combined with Maxillary Implant Placement: A Case Series

The aim of this study was to introduce an intraoral bone block harvesting technique--the palatal bone block graft (PBBG)--as an alternative harvest site for autogenous bone blocks. The PBBG technique was used to onlay graft esthetic zone defects simultaneous to implant placement in five patients. Measurable objectives were used to evaluate outcomes, and treatment was reassessed at up to 6 years. Defects of the maxilla were successfully grafted with PBBG in all five cases, and tissues remained stable at 1- and 6-year follow-ups. Harvesting an autogenous bone block from the palate is an advantageous, predictable, and reproducible method for augmenting buccofacial defects at implant placement, and may be considered as an alternative to conventional intraoral bone block donor sites when treating the maxilla.