Clinical outcomes of dental implants after use of tenting for bony augmentation: a systematic review

The reconstruction of severely atrophic ridges is often challenging and complicated. We searched the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for articles up to October 2015 that reported the success of all types of tenting for bony regeneration. We extracted data on the size and site of the defect, the number of patients, vertical and horizontal augmentation, survival of dental implants, and complications. Thirteen studies were included, which yielded data on 423 patients with 1111 dental implants. Follow-up periods were more than five years, severely resorbed mandibles were augmented vertically by up to 10 mm, and the survival rate of the implants was over 97%. The mean (SD) gain in horizontal width by screw tenting was 3 (0.63) mm, and over 97.6% of dental implants in cortical tenting investigations survived. A tenting approach may reduce the need for large autogenous bone grafts in the reconstruction of severely atrophic ridges and local bony defects, and improves the survival of implants.