Pathophysiological aspects of bone tissue regeneration when increasing the width of the jaw alveolar crest with the application of piezosurgical technique

One of the main problems that impede dental rehabilitation with the use of dental implants is the limited amount of bone tissue in cases of its pronounced atrophy. According to a number of authors, about 50% of patients need additional osteoplastic operations before or at the stage of dental implantation. Objective. The aim of the paper is to assess the effectiveness of piezosurgical apparatus for splitting the alveolar crest of the jaw in the insertion of dental implants. Materials and methods. Forty adult patients (15 men and 25 women) aged 36 to 49 years who had undergone surgery for partial tooth loss on one and/or both jaws were evaluated. All in all, 48 implants were placed against the narrow alveolar crest of the jaws, which was surgically split using microsaws (Group 1- 11 patients), thin dental drills (Group 2 -15 patients) and piezosurgery apparatus (Group 3, 14 patients). The postoperative follow-up period was 4 to 6 months before the orthopaedic treatment. Results. During crestal splitting, the smallest bone reduction was obtained using piezosurgical technique, which was 0.84±0.22 mm, while with microsaws and dental drills, this figure was slightly higher, 0.93±0.21 mm (p≥0.05) and 1.23±019 mm (p≤0.05), respectively. One of the properties of a piezosurgical instrument is the effect on protein molecules, namely, their denaturation. This reduces the number of postoperative complications. Conclusion. The technique of alveolar crest splitting with a piezosurgical instrument works according to the absolutely natural and unique mechanism of bone healing - the mechanism of fracture repair. This technique uses the local bone resource and avoids or significantly reduces the use of foreign bone grafting materials. There is a tendency to a better rate of restoration of the lost width of the alveolar crest of the jaw when using the piezosurgical apparatus, in contrast to the use of microsaws and dental drills.