Use of bovine-derived hydroxyapatite in the treatment of edentulous ridge defects: a human clinical and histologic case report.

The advent of AIDS has created patients fears regarding human tissue transfers, including bone grafts in dental surgery. In the face of these fears, alternative allograft materials are of increasing interest to clinicians. One such alternative is naturally derived xenogeneic hydroxyapatite (HA). In this study, two patients with edentulous ridge defects received bovine-derived HA grafts in conjunction with a dental implant treatment plan. The results were evaluated histologically. Both patients showed excellent clinical results with histological confirmation of osseous formation. The outcomes suggest that further consideration of the use of bovine-derived HA is merited as a means of remediating edentulous ridge defects.