In the modern implantology, bone grafting has become a frequent procedure to reconstruct alveolar bone resorption and defects in edentulous areas. The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the viability of a new bone graft technique using autogenous bone block, kept in place by the strength of soft tissue and periosteum, to increase width in the partial edentulous maxilla, to allow the installation of dental implants. Bone graft procedures were realized in 29 patients, using onlay bone block with subperiosteal tunneling technique in 41 atrophic edentulous areas. Clinical biometry using digital calipers and photographs data were taken. The main analyzed aspect was the bone augmentation aiming implant placement. The follow up period ranged from 5 to 9 months when implants were installed. Aspects concerning soft tissue healing, technical facility comparing to conventional techniques and the behavior of bone blocks grafted with no fixation devices were observed. The one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA), following by Tukey’s test, demonstrated a significant difference ( p < 0.05) for the initial average measurements (2.95 mm + −0.79) and final average measurements (6.64 mm + −0.99), with resorption rate of 6.21% after the bone repair period. The success rate for this technique was 97.5% (1 failure out of 41 grafted areas). The results of this study demonstrated that the subperiosteal tunneling technique promoted good bone graft healing, with less resorption rate when comparing to conventional techniques, using a much more simple technique, with less surgical time, morbidity and minor costs.

Conflict of interest: None declared.