ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Several techniques have been proposed to reconstruct deficient alveolar ridges including bone blocks, ridge splitting and guided bone regeneration (GBR). GBR has been successfully established in restoring horizontal bone deficiency. However, yet still there is a debate regarding the ideal barrier for GBR. PURPOSE: To evaluate the quantity and the quality of the bone gained using collagen membrane with 1:1 mixture of autogenous and anoraganic bovine bone mineral compared to titanium mesh with the same mixture of bone for GBR of horizontally deficient maxillary ridges. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two different grafting techniques were evaluated, 10 patients receiving GBR using native collagen membrane using 1:1 autogenous and anorganic bovine bone mineral (ABBM) bone mixture, and 10 patients receiving GBR using titanium mesh with same mixture of bone. RESULTS: Statistical analysis showed a significant increase in alveolar bone width in both techniques with a mean bone gain of 4.0 mm for Collagen group and 3.7 mm for titanium mesh group. Bone area percent was almost 28% for both groups. For Ti-mesh group, six sites soft tissue healing was uneventfully with no signs of wound dehiscence. However, four cases showed mesh exposure first 3 patients showed this exposure 3 weeks postoperatively while the fourth patient showed exposure 4 months postoperatively. The mean graft resorption in the Collagen and mesh group 6 months postoperative was considered nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: GBR with both collagen membrane and titanium mesh using a 1:1 mixture of autogenous and ABBM is a viable technique for horizontal augmentation of deficient maxillary alveolar ridges. Titanium mesh is a more technique sensitive compared to collagen membrane. Soft tissue dehiscence and difficulty during second stage removal should limit its use in augmentation of horizontally deficient maxillary ridges.
