INTRODUCTION: Atrophic residual ridges have always been an obstacle for a successful prosthodontics treatment. Residual ridge resorption (RRR) was attributed to a combination of anatomical, metabolic and mechanical determinants. Lately, the genetic factor was considered since single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in relevant genes have been present in patients having severe RRR. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to investigate for the first time the relation between SNP 1772C>T in Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) gene and the presence of severely resorbed edentulous mandibular ridges in a sample of the Egyptian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 50 subjects divided into case and control groups according to the residual ridge height. Saliva was used as a convenient source of DNA in the dental clinic. PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism was performed for genotyping. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in the distribution of the TT genotype between both groups was present. There was also a difference in the distribution of the CC and CT genotypes but it wasn't statistically significant. The T alleles were more abundant in the case group while the control group showed more frequency of the C allele with no statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: This study concluded that the TT genotype of the 1772C>T polymorphism of HIF-1α gene is related to the presence of severely atrophied residual ridges. This SNP can be used as a marker to predict the future condition of the ridge using saliva samples. Further studies on larger scale are recommended.