ALVEOLAR RIDGE SPLIT FOR FULL-ARCH MAXILLA

This retrospective study evaluated the use of the alveolar ridge split (ARS) technique in patients with a completely edentulous upper jaw who received implant-supported fixed prostheses. The ARS technique is used when the jawbone is too narrow to allow conventional implant placement. In this study, patients with insufficient maxillary ridge width underwent one-stage ARS with simultaneous implant placement, while patients with adequate ridge width received conventional implant placement without ridge splitting. The study compared the two treatment approaches in terms of implant survival, marginal bone loss around the implants, and implant success, including biological and prosthetic complications. A total of 47 patients with 332 dental implants were evaluated. The overall implant survival rate was 99.2%, and no significant difference was observed between the ARS and conventional implant groups. Marginal bone loss and implant success rates were also similar between the groups. The findings suggest that the alveolar ridge split technique may be a suitable option for implant-supported full-arch rehabilitation in carefully selected patients with a completely edentulous maxilla and insufficient alveolar ridge width.