Morphologic Characteristics of Bony Edentulous Jaws

Abstract

This study, performed on 123 human edentulous dry bone specimens, indicates that the edentulous arch and the residual ridge take many forms. At the occlusal surface of the edentulous jaw a trabecular track is the remaining scar after tooth extraction. To accommodate an entire metal osseointegrated implant within the residual bone volume, crest reduction and bone grafts may be required as preprosthetic surgical measures. After tooth loss, maxillary resorption was centripetal and apical, whereas mandibular resorption was centrifugal and also apical, resulting in a reversed horizontal relationship in fully edentulous subjects.