Distraction Osteogenesis in Implantology for Ridge Augmentation - A Systematic Review

The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate distraction osteogenesis for ridge augmentation in implant dentistry and also to present the associated advantages and limitations. A Medline and manual search was conducted to identify clinical studies concerning distraction osteogenesis in implant dentistry published between 1998 to 2012. 52 articles were assessed. The articles included evaluated the type of distractor used, augmentation achieved and the success and survival rate of implant placed in the augmented site. It was seen that when comparing methods of regeneration, a decreased treatment time is seen in cases of distraction osteogenesis. The reason for this lies in the fact that within 12 weeks the distraction segments are formed and there is a increase noted in the height of the alveolar bone, from 5 to 15 mm as well as an implant survival rate of 95.7%. It can be concluded that distraction osteogenesis is a relatively simple, effective and reliable technique for alveolar ridge reconstruction in contemporary implant dentistry. It can be considered versatile owing to its simplicity, possibility of avoiding bone grafts, infections and blood transfusions. The fact that graft and membrane exposure or inadequate tissue coverage do not pose complications, makes this an effective method of bone augmentation in implantology