Recent advances in horizontal alveolar bone regeneration

Abstract

Alveolar bone loss is widespread in all age groups and remains a severe hazard to periodontal health. Horizontal alveolar bone loss is the pattern of bone loss more commonly seen in periodontitis. Until now, limited regenerative procedures have been applied to treating horizontal alveolar bone loss in periodontal clinics, making it the least predictable periodontal defect type. This article reviews the literature on recent advances in horizontal alveolar bone regeneration. The biomaterials and clinical and preclinical approaches tested for the regeneration of the horizontal type of alveolar bone are first discussed. Furthermore, current obstacles for horizontal alveolar bone regeneration and future directions in regenerative therapy are presented to provide new ideas for developing an effective multidisciplinary strategy to address the challenge of horizontal alveolar bone loss.

Keywords: alveolar bone loss; biomaterials; cell therapy; growth and differentiation factors; guided tissue regeneration; periodontitis.