Limited Evidence for a Guided Bone Regeneration Procedure Commonly Performed in Contemporary Clinical Practice

Focused Clinical Question What is the efficacy of a guided bone regeneration procedure, consisting of the combination of allograft particles and an absorbable collagenmembrane, in horizontally augmenting alveolar bone in a healthy white patient, comparedwith other horizontal ridge augmentation techniques? Clinical Scenario A 20-year-old white female presented to the University of Iowa College of Dentistry Faculty Practice (Iowa City, Iowa) in April 2014 with a chief complaint of I lost one of my upper front teeth and I would like to replace it. Her medical history was noncontributory, and she never smoked. Tooth # 11 was extracted in an oral surgery practice, alongside her third molars, z2 years before the consultation for tooth replacement. The reason for extraction was severe tooth malposition and ankylosis. Extensive bone removal was required at the time of extraction. Intraoral examination revealed a marked horizontal ridge deficiency, which was confirmed radiographically on cone-beam computed tomography scan analysis, necessitating bone augmentation before implant placement in an ideal restorative position.