Long-term radiographic evaluation of hydroxylapative-augmented mandibular alveolar ridges

From six months to four years after alveolar ridge augmentation was performed, the vertical ridge heights of 74 Class III and Class IV alveolar ridge deficiency patients, who had undergone augmentation with hydroxylapatite with or without autogenous cancellous bone, were measured using panoramic radiographs adjusted for magnification errors. No statistically significant decreases in vertical ridge heights were seen when only hydroxylapatite was used, nor were there significant differences between the two types of hydroxylapatite particles used. Unlike other bone onlay procedures, the use of autogenous bone and HA together did not result in significant decreases in vertical ridge height.