Immediate postoperative complications after lateral ridge augmentation – a clinical comparison between bone shell technique and sticky bone

Nowadays, implant dentistry is strongly interconnected to bone augmentation procedures. Lateral ridge augmentation is often an imperative treatment stage for successful, prosthetic-driven implant placement. This study aimed to comparatively analyze the immediate postoperative complications of two horizontal bone grafting procedures: sticky bone and bone shell technique. Records of patients with lateral ridge augmentation were analyzed to identify immediate postoperative complications. The study group included 80 patients divided into 40 control (bone-shell technique – BS) and 40 tests (sticky bone –SB). More patients reported moderate and severe pain in the BS – group (11 patients – 27.5%) than in the SB group (6 patients – 15%). In the BS group, the incidence of severe and moderate trismus, neurosensory disturbances, and important hematoma was higher. There was an increased inflammatory response following the bone shell technique, while the sticky bone technique proved reduced surgical morbidity. There was no difference between the two groups in the risk of dehiscence or infection.