Application of the Sausage Technique With Simultaneous Implant Placement in the Aesthetic Zone

This study aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness of the sausage technique with simultaneous implant placement in the aesthetic zone. A total of 28 patients with horizontal bone defects and consecutive loss of multiple teeth in the maxillary anterior region were included in this retrospective study. Bone augmentation was performed using the sausage technique, and the conventional guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique served as the control. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was performed preoperatively, postoperatively, and after 6 months of bone healing. The horizontal bone width and bone volume were measured from CBCT images. The changes in horizontal width and bone volume, along with the corresponding resorption rates, were calculated. After 6 months of bone healing, the average bone width increased from 3.18 mm to 7.82 mm, with an increase of 4.64 mm in the sausage technique group. Meanwhile, the horizontal bone width, horizontal bone gain, and bone augmentation volume were significantly higher in the sausage technique group than in the conventional GBR group (P<0.05). The sausage technique resulted in more horizontal bone gain compared with the conventional technique in the cases with horizontal bone defects and consecutive loss of multiple teeth in the anterior maxillary region. When combined with simultaneous implant placement for horizontal bone augmentation, the sausage technique achieves favorable clinical outcomes in the aesthetic zone.