Alveolar Ridge Reconstruction with Titanium Meshes and Simultaneous Implant Placement: A Retrospective, Multicenter Clinical Study

Objective. To evaluate horizontal bone gain and implant survival and complication rates in patients treated with titanium meshes placed simultaneously with dental implants and fixed over them. Methods. Twenty-five patients treated with 40 implants and simultaneous guided bone regeneration with titanium meshes (i-Gen (R), MegaGen, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea) were selected for inclusion in the present retrospective multicenter study. Primary outcomes were horizontal bone gain and implant survival; secondary outcomes were biological and prosthetic complications. Results. After the removal of titanium meshes, the CBCT evaluation revealed a mean horizontal bone gain of 3.67 mm (+/- 0.89). The most frequent complications were mild postoperative edema (12/25 patients: 48%) and discomfort after surgery (10/25 patients: 40%); these complications were resolved within one week. Titanium mesh exposure occurred in 6 patients (6/25 : 24%): one of these suffered partial loss of the graft and another experienced complete graft loss and implant failure. An implant survival rate of 97.5% (implant-based) and a peri-implant marginal bone loss of 0.43 mm (+/- 0.15) were recorded after 1 year. Conclusions. The horizontal ridge reconstruction with titanium meshes placed simultaneously with dental implants achieved predictable satisfactory results. Prospective randomized controlled trials on a larger sample of patients are required to validate these positive outcomes.