Autogenous block bone grafting as treatment for alveolar ridge atrophy has various disadvantages, including a limited availability of sufficiently sized and shaped grafts, donor site morbidity and resorption of the grafted bone. As a result, interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramic (IP-CHA) materials with high porosity have been developed and used successfully in orthopedic cases. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first report of clinical application of an IP-CHA block for onlay grafting for implant treatment in a patient with horizontal alveolar atrophy. The present study performed onlay block grafting using an IP-CHA block to restore bone volume for implant placement in the alveolar ridge area without collecting autogenous bone. Dental X-ray findings revealed that the border of the IP-CHA block became increasingly vague over the 3-year period, whereas CT scanning revealed that the gap between the block and bone had a smooth transition, indicating that IP-CHA improved the process of integration with host bone. In follow-up examinations over a period of 5 years, the implants and superstructures had no problems. An IP-CHA block may be useful as a substitute for onlay block bone grafting in implant treatment.
Keywords: autogenous block bone grafting; implant treatment; interconnected porous hydroxyapatite ceramics.