Purpose Placement of dental implants has evolved to be an advantageous treatment option
for rehabilitation of the fully or partially edentulous mandible. In case of extensive
horizontal bone resorption, the bone volume needs to be augmented prior to or during
implant placement in order to obtain dental rehabilitation and maximize implant survival
and success. Methods Our aim was to systematically review the available data on lateral
augmentation techniques in the horizontally compromised mandible considering all grafting
protocols using xenogeneic, synthetic, or allogeneic material. A computerized and
manual literature search was performed for clinical studies (published January 1995
to March 2021). Results Eight studies ultimately met the inclusion criteria comprising
a total of 276 procedures of xenogeneic, allogeneic, or autogenous bone graft applications
in horizontal ridge defects. Particulate materials as well as bone blocks were used
as grafts with a mean follow-up of 26.0 months across all included studies. Outcome
measures, approaches and materials varied from study to study. A gain of horizontal
bone width of the mandible with a mean of 4.8 mm was observed in seven of eight studies.
All but one study, reported low bone graft failure rates of 4.4% in average. Conclusions
Only limited data are available on the impact of different horizontal augmentation
strategies in the mandible. The results show outcomes for xenogeneic as well as autologous
bone materials for horizontal ridge augmentation of the lower jaw. The use of allogeneic
bone-block grafts in combination with resorbable barrier membranes must be re-evaluated.
Randomized controlled clinical trials are largely missing.
