Onlay bone grafts from iliac crest: a retrospective analysis

This study was performed to address the outcomes of patients treated with onlay grafts from the iliac crest to augment the deficient jaw. The results of 173 consecutive patients who underwent bone grafting prior to implant surgery are presented. The grafts were taken from the anterior iliac crest to repair alveolar bone deficiencies that were too large to be corrected using intraoral bone grafts. Three months postoperatively, 869 implants were placed into 190 onlay grafts (167 grafts in the maxilla, 23 in the mandible). The follow-up ranged from 3 months to 23 years post implantation. All patients received a fixed prosthesis. Parameters examined included healing of the donor site and bone grafts, implant survival, peri-implant condition, and donor site morbidity. The overall survival rate for all implants was calculated to be 95%±2.7% according to Kaplan-Meier analysis. The implant survival rate compares favourably with those reported in studies using intraoral and extraoral bone.