Treatment of Postextraction Sites With Allograft-Stabilized Dental Implants : A Clinical Case Series

PURPOSE:: Additional grafting procedures for the treatment of extremely atrophic jaws may be demanding, expensive, and sometimes require long time and multiple surgical sessions, which may reduce patientʼs acceptance and quality of life. This study evaluated the outcomes of 10 patients with extensive alveolar bone defects in the posterior jaws, treated in a single surgical session with grafting and implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS:: Ten consecutive patients were treated within 3 months of extraction. After ridge exposure, implants were positioned in 4-wall defects without contact with pristine bone, and mineralized particulate allograft packed around to stabilize them. Sites were covered with resorbable membranes and soft tissues were sutured tension-free. Five months later, implants were restored in centric occlusion. RESULTS:: At uncovering, newly formed bone filled all defects and all implants resisted at 30 Ncm of reverse torque. No complication was recorded throughout the study; survival rate was 100% for both implants and grafts. After 24 months of follow-up, mean periimplant bone level change was 0.15 ± 0.53 mm and mean bone gain at the defect site was 11.62 ± 1.04 mm. CONCLUSION:: Rehabilitation of wide postextraction defects may achieve successful outcomes using allograft and a special implant design, even in the absence of optimal primary stability.