A concept for the treatment of various dental bone defects.

Untreated dental bone defects usually lead to resorption of alveolar bone. Filling these defects with bone substitute material prevents resorption of bone, preserves the alveolar ridge, and provides sufficient bone for immediate or subsequent implant placement. A variety of bone substitutes is available. They differ in origin, consistency, particle size, porosity, and resorption characteristics. We have treated almost 1000 bony defect sites in 267 patients with the bone regeneration material Cerasorb. Being resorbed simultaneously with the formation of new bone, it is completely replaced by the patient's own vital bone within 6 to 12 months. The representative cases described in this paper demonstrate the successful use of the pure-phase beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramic in the treatment of all dental bone defects.