Tent-pole technique for alveolar ridge width preservation with a compromised buccal plate: a prospective cohort study.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the tent-pole technique for alveolar ridge preservation of compromised alveolar socket following the surgical extraction of incurable single root premolars. This study was conducted on 12 patients who presented to the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery and had alveolar ridge preservation using tent-pole technique between August 2021 and February 2022. The alveolar ridge width was analyzed using cone beam computed tomography scans taken preoperative and 6 months postoperative. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the alveolar ridge width at different levels. The alveolar ridge width differences between periods were assessed with paired t-test. The comparison of alveolar ridge width loss according to jaw, sex, and different levels were done with unpaired t-test. The level of significance considered was 5% (α=0.05). The mean alveolar ridge width before surgery was 10.03mm. After 6 months, the mean alveolar ridge width was 8.4mm. The range of alveolar ridge width loss was between 0.6 and 3.22mm with a mean of 1.63 (16.25%). There was no statistically significant difference in width loss between the maxilla and mandibular whether in males or females. Alveolar bone width loss was the greatest at W1 level (26.8%). According to the results of this study, the authors conclude that the tent-pole technique could preserve the alveolar bone ridge width without bone graft materials.