Surgical correction of horizontal bone defect using the lateral maxillary wall: outcomes of a retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To report on the outcomes of a new surgical technique for the treatment of severe horizontal bone resorption that impedes the placement of dental implants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven patients in need of bone augmentation to reconstruct a narrow alveolar ridge were recruited for the present study. Surgical correction of the alveolar width was performed by harvesting an onlay bone graft from the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus and filling the intervening space with plasma rich in growth factors alone or mixed with autologous bone particles. A fibrin membrane was then placed to cover the surgical site before flap closure. Clinical examinations and cone-beam computed tomography were performed to analyze the safety and efficiency of an onlay bone graft from the maxilla in horizontal bone augmentation.

RESULTS: The present study is the first to describe the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus as a donor site for an onlay bone graft. The healing period was uneventful, with minimal surgical morbidity. No flap exposure occurred, and analysis of the cone-beam computed tomography scans before and after (about 5 months) bone augmentation revealed a total gain of 5.4 mm in alveolar width. This permitted the placement of dental implants to support an implant-borne prosthesis.

CONCLUSIONS: An onlay bone graft from the lateral wall of the maxillary sinus is a useful and safe tool for horizontal bone augmentation with minimal surgical morbidity.