The potential of the horizontal ramus of the mandible as a donor site for block and particular grafts in pre-implant surgery.

The results on 32 consecutive patients, who underwent bone grafting prior to implant surgery, are presented. The grafts were taken from the horizontal part of the mandible, including the full height of the buccal cortico-cancellous plate and were used to reconstruct alveolar defects or to augment sinus floors. 3-5 months postoperatively, 99 implants were inserted in 43 onlay grafts and in 17 sinus floor augmentations.