Aim Alveolar ridge resorption following tooth extraction often renders a lateral bone augmentation inevitable. Some patients, however, suffer from severe early (during graft healing, Eres) and/or late (during follow‐up, Lres) graft resorption. We explored the hypothesis that the “individual phenotypic dimensions” may partially explain the degree of such resorptions. Materials and Methods Patients who underwent a guided bone regeneration (GBR) procedure were screened for inclusion according to the following criteria: (1) a relatively symmetrical maxillary arch; (2) an intact contra‐lateral alveolar bone dimension; (3) the availability of a pre‐operative cone‐beam CT (CBCT); (4) a CBCT taken immediately after GBR, and (5) at least one CBCT scan ≥6 months after surgery. CBCT scans from different timepoints were registered and imported into the Mimics software (Materialise, Leuven, Belgium). Bone dimensions of the contra‐lateral site of the augmentation, representing the “individual phenotypical dimension (IPD) of the alveolar crest”, were superimposed on the augmented site and registered accordingly. As such, Eres and Lres could be measured over time, in relation to the IPD (in two dimensions; per millimetre apically from the alveolar crest, in the centre of the GBR), as well as in three dimensions (the entire GBR, 2 mm away from the mesial, distal, and apical border for standardization). Results A total of 17 patients (23 augmented sites) were included. After Eres, the outline of the augmentation was in general located ±1 mm outside the IPD, but ≥1.5 years after GBR, it further moved towards the IPD (85% within 0.5 mm distance). Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, the results indicate that the dimensions of a lateral bone augmentation are defined by the “individual phenotypic bone boundaries” of the patient.

Leukocyte-and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) is a promising platelet concentrate in natural-guided healing, as it boosts wound healing and regeneration of soft and hard tissues. 1,2 In clinical practice, the morphology of L-PRF membranes is variable, which may be important as the fibrin network together with the entrapped cells determine wound healing. 3 The reason for this variation is not yet fully understood, and the potential impact of an antithrombotic therapyhas not yet been studied.

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Aim: To assess, in vitro, variables potentially influencing implant blooming using a human-like imaging phantom and 3D-printed mandibles.Material and Methods: Sixty implants were inserted in 3D-printed mandibles in 26 different configurations in order to examine the impact of implant diameter, presence of a cover screw, implant design/material, implant position, and the presence of additional implants on implant blooming using two cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) devices (Accuitomo [ACC] and NewTom [NWT]). Two observers measured the amount of implant blooming in both buccolingual and mesiodistal directions.Inter-rater agreement and descriptive statistics, grouped by implant characteristic and CBCT device, were calculated. Results:Both CBCT devices increased implant diameter (a mean increase of 9.2% and 11.8% for titanium, 20.3% and 24.4% for zirconium, for ACC and NWT, respectively).An increase in implant diameter did not increase the amount of blooming, whereas placing a cover screw did (from 8.0% to 10.9% for ACC, and from 10.0% to 15.6% for NWT). Moreover, implant design, anatomical region, and the presence of another implant also affected the extent of the blooming.Conclusions: Dental implants show a clear diameter increase on CBCT, with the effect being more pronounced for zirconium than for titanium implants. Similar effects are likely to occur in the clinical setting, potentially masking nonosseointegration, reducing the dimensions of peri-implant defects, and/or causing underestimation of the buccal bone thickness.

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