Comparative Evaluation of Growth Factor Bioavailability-Enhanced Allograft Vs Autogenous Bone Graft in Anterior
1Private Practice in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Fellow, Royal College of Dentists of Canada.
Background:
Alveolar ridge deficiencies following trauma, tooth loss, or endodontic pathology may compromise implant placement in the anterior maxilla. While autogenous bone grafting remains the benchmark, a growth factor bioavailability-enhanced allograft (GFBA) has been developed as an alternative.
Case Presentation:
A 44-year-old man presented for implant rehabilitation in the anterior maxilla. Tooth No. 8 was missing due to trauma that occurred approximately 20 years prior. Cone-beam computed tomography findings for site No. 8 showed an atrophic alveolar ridge with intact cortical plates and no intraosseous pathology, but insufficient ridge volume. Tooth No. 7 had been previously endodontically treated and exhibited periapical rarefying osteitis, buccal cortical plate dehiscence, and widening of the periodontal ligament space, consistent with a persistent inflammatory process. Treatment involved extraction of tooth No. 7 with socket debridement and grafting using a GFBA and ridge augmentation at site No. 8 using an autogenous ramus block graft.
Results:
At 11 months, both sites demonstrated successful ridge augmentation. The GFBA site showed a homogeneous trabecular pattern and advanced integration, while the autogenous graft demonstrated ongoing remodeling and graft integration. Implants were placed successfully at both sites, with follow-up radiographs confirming stable peri-implant bone levels and successful osseointegration.
Conclusion:
GFBA may serve as an alternative to autogenous bone grafting in moderate ridge defects.
