Evaluation of Block Allograft Efficacy in Lateral Alveolar Ridge Augmentation.

AIM: The research was performed for the clinical and computerized tomography (CT) assessment of cortico-cancellous block allograft in the reconstruction of lateral alveolar ridge width deficiency prior to placement of dental implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten patients who had atrophic mandibular ridge necessitating bone augmentation prior to implant placement were randomly selected, and corticocancellous block allografts were used to augment the lateral ridge deficiency. The grafted site was assessed clinically and with CT preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Surgical re-entry was done after 6 months for dental implant placement. RESULTS: During the 6-month evaluation period, all the block allografts had integrated well with the host tissue. Clinically, all the grafts were found to be firm in consistency, well-incorporated, and vascularized. Both the clinical and CT measurements showed increase in bone width. The dental implants had good primary stability. CONCLUSION: Bone-block allografts can be employed as a marked graft material for the management of lateral ridge defects. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: During precise and accurate surgical methods, this type of bone graft can be safely used in regions of implant placement as a convenient alternative to autogenous grafts.