Implant based rehabilitation options for the atrophic edentulous jaw

The atrophic and edentulous jaw can pose a number of challenges for the implant clinician. In simple terms, the amount of bone that remains is insufficient for the conventional placement of a dental implant. A variety of treatment strategies can be employed to enable implants to be placed despite the paucity of bone stock in either the mandible or the maxilla. Conceptually these strategies follow one of two pathways: either augmentation of the bone, or the novel utilization of the remaining bone. This article will discuss patient assessment, treatment planning, and the range of contemporary options available to enable fixed implant based rehabilitation of each jaw. "The edentulous patient is an amputee, an oral invalid, to whom we should pay total respect and rehabilitation ambitions" (P-I Branemark, September 2005).