Prosthetic Rehabilitation of Edentulous Ridges Following Alveolar Distraction Osteogenesis: Clinical Report of Three Cases

Patients with complete edentulism who have insufficient bone for endosseous dental implant treatment present a challenge for dental practitioners. Distraction osteogenesis of the edentulous alveolar ridges is a process for augmentation of atrophic alveolar bone before dental implant placement. This clinical report describes the use of distraction osteogenesis and rehabilitation of patients with a fixed or removable implant-supported prosthesis to treat mandibular defects. Two female patients with segmental alveolar atrophy at the posterior regions of mandible and one female patient with defect at the anterior region of mandible were treated using distraction devices. However, lingual tipping of the distraction vector occurred during the distraction phase in patient 1. The morphology of the alveolar bone was also analyzed in relation to the planned implant position. After a consolidation period of 12 weeks on average, radiologic observation suggested that there was sufficient bone formation for implant installation. In all patients, implant-supported fixed or removable prosthetic oral rehabilitation was successfully performed, and the clinical and radiologic findings were satisfactory. After 4 years of follow-up, no functional or esthetic difficulties with the implants and restorations were noted. These case reports suggest that although alveolar distraction osteogenesis seems to be an effective technique for augmenting atrophic alveolar bone for creating bone and soft tissue, complications may occur after surgical procedures.