A Horizontal Ridge Augmentation in Atrophic Maxillary Ridge: Evaluating Alveolar Ridge Splitting and Osseodensification

The success of dental implant procedures hinges not only on the expertise of the clinician but also on the quality and quantity of bone at the implant site.

The significance of bone parameters in determining the feasibility and long-term outcomes of dental implants cannot be overstated. Over the years, various classifications have been proposed to assess bone quality and quantity, each aiming to provide a comprehensive framework for clinicians to evaluate and plan implant placement effectively.

One of the seminal classifications widely utilized in clinical practice is (the Cawood and Howell classification)1,2,3, which categorizes edentulous ridges into six types based on the quantity and quality of residual bone. In this classification system class IV in maxilla has gained special interest as it provides the adequate length for implant insertion but the width is insufficient. That made lots of researchers come with lots of different solutions to save time,cost and provide the best results for the patient.

Computed tomography (CT) provides an objective means to quantify bone density, expressed in Hounsfield units (HU), as described by T. Misch. The HU derived from CBCT scans correspond to grayscale values. Through linear regression analysis, grayscale values can be subjectively determined from CBCT images by aligning CT images with the same points on CBCT scans. The regression equation used for this analysis was HU = -61.098 + 1.178 × grayscale.4,5,6,7,8

Horizontal bone defects pose significant challenges in dental implantology, often requiring innovative surgical techniques to achieve successful implant placement.