Anatomical and Biologic Considerations of Autogenous Bone Blocks Harvested from the Ramus Region

A common site to harvest autogenous bone is the posterior mandible (ramus). Bone from this area may be cortical or cancellous in nature with different levels of osteogenic potential. Management of deficient alveolar ridges must be based upon anatomical and biologic characteristics of the donor bone from the ramus. This technical report provides all aspects of the presurgical planning, topographic features of autogenous ramus blocks, and loading concepts according to the biologic characteristics and resorption properties of these blocks. Long-term data from clinical cases are presented improving the clinical outcomes with high predictability. Keywords: bone block, bone formation, osseoconduction, osteoinduction