Samar M. Jambi
Insufficient alveolar bone width (bucco-lingual/bucco-
palatal dimension) is a major limitation for successful
implant placement. This width decreases 3.8 and 6.1
mm over a period of 3-12 months, respectively (Schropp
et al, 2003). One method to achieve ridge augmentation
of inadequate alveolar bone width is splitting/expansion
(with/without guided bone regeneration) by carefully expanding
the cortical plates and maintaining the periosteal
attachment. This technique was first introduced in
early 1970s for horizontal ridge augmentation by Tatum.
There are many criteria for case selection to have a successful
surgical and prosthetic outcome, one of them (in
my opinion) is to have a parallel cortical plates and the
original width should not be less than 3.5 mm.
