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Volume 43 , Issue 2
March/April 2023
Pages 202–210

Management of Curved Bone Defects in the Anterior Maxilla Using Bone Bending via a Kerfed Khoury Split Bone Block Technique

Howard Gluckman, BDS, MChD, PhD

DOI: 10.11607/prd.6469

The loss of teeth causes inevitable resorption of the alveolar bone. In the anterior arches, the curved anatomy further adds to the challenge of rehabilitation. These areas often require the shaping of membranes and multiple bone blocks through complex surgery to compensate for the curvature. The split bone block technique (SBBT) has been successfully used in complicated cases. However, the inability to create curves from the blocks means that larger quantities of bone or membranes are needed to compensate for this. Bone bending based on an ancient wood-bending technique known as kerfing is proposed to shape rigid SBB plates to recreate the natural anatomy of anterior arches. Three patients presenting with bone destruction of the anterior maxilla underwent bone augmentation before implant placement using the SBBT combined with kerfing. The plates were successfully bent to the shape of each maxilla without any deleterious effects. All bone grafts healed uneventfully, and the bone curvature was successfully reconstructed. No complications were reported. Implant placement took place after 4 months and definitive restorations after 7 to 9 months. Clinical and radiographic assessments were performed at 1 year. Full customization of autogenous bone plates was possible through kerfing. This approach resulted in an ideal bone curve and shape in the facial and palatal aspects of the anterior maxilla. In addition, it enabled ideal implant placement with reduced bone harvesting volumes and decreased the need for soft tissue augmentation to recreate the curved shape. This technique promoted close-fitting autologous osseous plates that followed the anatomical curvature of the anterior maxilla, leading to optimal healing and excellent regeneration of the ridge width. This principle can be valuable when dealing with complex anatomical defects.

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