Onlay bone grafts from iliac crest: a retrospective analysis

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Dental Implantology
• Bone Grafting Techniques

Background:

• Alveolar bone deficiencies often require augmentation for dental implant placement.
• Intraoral bone grafts have limitations for severe bone defects.
• Onlay grafting from the iliac crest provides a viable solution for extensive jaw augmentation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the outcomes of patients treated with iliac crest onlay grafts for jaw augmentation.
• To assess implant survival and graft healing in patients receiving anterior iliac crest grafts.
• To compare the results with existing literature on bone grafting for dental implants.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 173 consecutive patients undergoing iliac crest onlay bone grafting.
• Grafts harvested from the anterior iliac crest to repair large alveolar bone deficiencies.
• Placement of 869 dental implants into 190 onlay grafts (maxilla and mandible).
• Follow-up ranging from 3 months to 23 years, assessing graft healing, implant survival, and donor site morbidity.

Main Results:

• Overall implant survival rate of 95%±2.7% calculated via Kaplan-Meier analysis.
• Successful healing of donor sites and bone grafts observed.
• Favorable peri-implant conditions reported in patients with fixed prostheses.
• Low donor site morbidity documented.

Conclusions:

• Anterior iliac crest onlay grafts are a successful and reliable method for augmenting deficient jaws prior to dental implant placement.
• The high implant survival rate achieved compares favorably with other bone grafting modalities.
• This technique provides a predictable treatment option for extensive alveolar bone reconstruction, leading to successful prosthetic rehabilitation.