Lateral alveolar ridge augmentation procedure using subperiosteal tunneling technique: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Oral Surgery
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Alveolar ridge deficiency poses challenges for dental implant placement.
• Traditional augmentation methods can be invasive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of sub-periosteal tunneling with biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP) bone graft for lateral alveolar ridge augmentation.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving 9 patients with deficient mandibular alveolar ridges.
• Ten lateral ridge augmentations performed using the sub-periosteal tunneling technique.
• CBCT imaging for pre- and post-operative ridge width assessment (4 months).
• Histological analysis of bone cores from one patient.

Main Results:

• Mean ridge width increased significantly from 4.17 mm to 8.56 mm (p=0.0019).
• Histomorphometric analysis showed 27.6% new bone and 72.3% mineralized fraction at 4 months.
• The tunneling technique with BCP graft proved effective in lateral bone augmentation.

Conclusions:

• Sub-periosteal tunneling with in situ hardening BCP is a viable option for lateral ridge augmentation.
• This technique facilitates implant placement in deficient alveolar ridges.
• Further randomized trials are needed to compare with conventional methods.