Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Introduction: Ridge splitting with bone expansion is a technique of manipulation of bone to form receptor site for implant without removing any bone from the implant site. Maxillary bone has inherent quality of flexibility which can be molded to desire location by using series of instrument namely chisels and osteotome. This further improves quality of bone all around implant, at the crest and apex both. This study describes a clinical case with management of bucco-palatal ridge defect with modified ridge splitting and expansion osteotomy technique using chisel and osteotomes in an esthetic zone. Materials and method: This study includes thirty patients, 10 women and 20 men, who underwent implant placement following split ridge bone augmentation. All qualified subjects presented with a buccolingual width dimension of 3–5 mm and a minimum bone height dimension of 10 mm prior to surgery. Implants were placed simultaneously or 3 weeks following the initial surgery. Thirty implants were placed in maxilla. All surgical procedures were performed by the same surgeon within a 2-year period. Results: In this study, the osseointegration success rate of implants placed in areas which were augmented with the use of split ridge technique was estimated to be 97%. Conclusion: The ridge splitting technique of bone expansion is effective in longitudinal expansion of the alveolar ridge in cases of alveolar atrophy and knifeshaped ridges.