Vertical augmentation of a severely atrophied posterior mandibular alveolar ridge for a dental implant using a patient-specific 3D printed PCL/BGS7 scaffold: A technical note

Abstract

Vertical bone augmentation for dental implants in the posterior mandibular region with significant bone resorption is challenging. For this purpose, methods such as block bone grafting with screw fixation, particulate bone grafting with titanium mesh or barrier membrane, and distraction osteogenesis have been used, and autogenous block bone grafting is considered the gold standard. However, the autogenous block bone grafting has the following disadvantages: bone harvesting is challenging, and block bone contouring according to the recipient site is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, in this study, we report the use of particulate bone with a polycaprolactone/bioactive glass-7 scaffold, designed, and three-dimensionally printed preoperatively, to resolve the above-mentioned challenges.

Keywords: 3D-printing; Alveolar ridge augmentation; Bioactive glass; Mandible; Polycaprolactone.