What is the Optimum for Alveolar Ridge Preservation?

Abstract

In the dental implant era, there has been growing interest in exploring the most effective methods to minimize morphologic alteration in the postextraction site. Despite modern methods of ridge preservation, resorption of the ridge is inevitable. The optimal approach to minimizing the rate and amount of these changes is still a subject of controversy. This article provides a contemporary review of the different approaches to preserve alveolar ridge dimensions. A suggested classification for single extraction sockets is presented along with multiple treatment options for each class.

Keywords: Alveolar ridge preservation; Extraction socket classification; Ridge augmentation; Socket grafting; Socket preservation.