Aim: This study aimed to evaluate tunneling technique alveolar ridge augmentation of horizontally deficient anterior maxillary alveolar ridge.
Materials and Methods: Ridge augmentation was carried out on 10 patients who required dental implants; all patients were suffering from horizontal bone loss in anterior maxillary ridge. They received plasma concentrate mixed with xenograft bone particles to form mineralized plasmatic matrix as the graft material through subperiosteal tunnel for horizontal ridge augmentation. Bone width was measured at 3, 6 and 9 mm from the alveolar crest.
Results: The mean width value showed statistically significant increase immediate postoperative and after 4 months at all levels (crestal, middle and apical), and insignificant decrease in width mean value after 4 months of follow up at the middle and apical levels (p value 0.339NS - 1NS, respectively), but significant decrease at crestal level (p value 0.041).
Conclusion: Within the limitation of this study, horizontal ridge augmentation using mineralized plasmatic matrix through subperiosteal tunnel in anterior maxilla yields good results in bone gain after 4 months of follow up, but the absence of space maintainer device led to crestal bone resorption after follow up period due to micro movement.
In spite of this resorption, the augmented bone allowed to place implant in proper position. So, ridge augmentation through subperiosteal tunneling technique is recommended in the knife edge anterior maxillary alveolar ridge.