Long-Term Follow-Up of Severely Resorbed Mandibles Reconstructed Using Tent Pole Technique Without Platelet-Rich Plasma

PurposeTo investigate the results of edentulous patients with severely resorbed mandibles who were treated with a modified tent pole procedure.Patients and MethodsTwenty-two edentulous patients (3 men, 19 women; mean age, 62 yr; range, 51 to 72 yr) with a history of conservative prosthodontic treatment failures were included this study. Using a transcutaneous submental approach, 4 endosseous dental implants were placed in the anterior mandible of each patient and covered with autogenous bone grafts harvested from the posterior iliac crest without the addition of platelet-rich plasma. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 9 years.ResultsThe postoperative course of the patients was uneventful, without any surgical infections. At 3 months postoperatively, the density of the grafted bone appeared to closely resemble that of the surrounding alveolar bone on panoramic radiographs. The average alveolar augmentation was 6.3 mm (standard deviation, 1.59 mm; range, 4 to 10 mm) and long-term follow-up showed no bone resorption around the endosseous implants.ConclusionsThe modified tent pole technique without the addition of platelet-rich plasma is a safe and effective method to reconstruct the severely resorbed mandible.