In a recent clinical study, published in the Journal of Oral Implantology, researchers worked to evaluate the use of the Barbell Technique which will permit bidirectional bone augmentation.
LAWRENCE, Kan., Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Journal of Oral Implantology – Placing dental implants is a complex, multistep process. Ensuring jawbone stability is an integral part of that process. Currently, adequate jawbone volume is achieved using techniques focused on unidirectional bone reconstruction (typically on the buccal, cheek, or side of the mouth); however, the buccal side is known for bone resorption, which can cause implant failure or other complications. A new process, known as the Barbell Technique, has been established to allow for bidirectional horizontal bone reconstruction that would increase the success of dental implant procedures.
The Journal of Oral Implantology recently published a clinical and tomographic study report evaluating the use of the Barbell Technique by collaborating researchers from the São Leopoldo Mandic Institute and Research Center, Campinas, Brazil, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Lead author Luís Guilherme Scavone de Macedo, DDS, PhD, and colleagues state, "Since the horizontal bone loss after tooth extraction is bidirectional, it would seem reasonable to reconstruct bidirectionally to restore the alveolar ridge to its original contours and skeletal relationship."
de Macedo et al. conducted a clinical study assessed with tomographic images in 10 subjects, seven women and three men aged 29 to 63 years, needing bidirectional horizontal bone augmentation in preparation for dental implants. Subjects were classified using the new horizontal alveolar change (HAC) system. Subjects classified as HAC 3, or as having moderate bone loss, and HAC 4, severe bone loss, were included in the study.
Bone grafting was done to increase bone density and jaw stability in preparation for the implants. Two barbell-shaped devices were inserted to secure the graft and promote bidirectional augmentation. Tomography scans were taken at two stages, before bone augmentation surgery and six months after surgery, before barbell removable and implantation, to assess the success of the bone graft. Scans indicated appropriate bone regeneration to support a total of 19 implants placed in the 10 subjects. The barbell devices were removed with ease, and no exposure of the graft was observed, indicating a successful procedure.
This clinical, tomographic study indicated that bidirectional horizontal bone augmentation can be successful using the novel Barbell Technique. The authors conclude that "The results of the present study confirmed the hypothesis that bone augmentation of HAC 4 and HAC 3 patients would be significant. The bone volume gained with the Barbell technique was greater than the bone volume gained with the use of bone blocks and standard techniques." The authors also postulate that the Barbell Technique could be successful for unidirectional bone augmentation, and future studies are recommended to evaluate this theory.
Full text of the article, "Barbell Technique: A Novel Approach for Bidirectional Bone Augmentation: Clinical and Tomographic Study," Journal of Oral Implantology, Vol. 49, No. 5, 2023, is available at https://doi.org/10.1563/aaid-joi-D-21-00286
About Journal of Oral Implantology
The Journal of Oral Implantology is the official publication of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. It provides valuable information to general dentists, oral surgeons, prosthodontists, periodontists, scientists, clinicians, laboratory owners and technicians, manufacturers, and educators. The JOI distinguishes itself as the first and oldest journal in the world devoted exclusively to implant dentistry. For more information about the journal or society, please visit: http://www.joionline.org/orimonline/?request=index-html
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SOURCE Journal of Oral Implantology
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