Directly autotransplanted tibial BM aspirates did not show beneficial regenerative effects in the small study population (N = 6) of the present pilot trial. However, the proximal tibia proved to be a potential donor site for small quantities of BM. Future trials should clarify whether concentration of tibial BM aspirates could effect higher regenerative potency.

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels are proven biocompatible materials and excellent carriers of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) that have been successfully tested for bone generation in vivo. Different formulations, with or without nanohydroxyapatite, have shown promise for craniofacial applications. In this study, 28 rats were used to investigate whether it is possible to achieve mandibular bone augmentation upon injection of novel hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels containing nanohydroxyapatite and different concentrations of BMP-2 (0, 5 and 150 µg/ml). The biomaterials were injected subperiosteally through fine needles into the innate mandibular diastema, imitating a clinical procedure for resorbed mandibles. No incisions, flaps or sutures were necessary. After 8 weeks the mandibles were evaluated by peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), micro-computed tomography (μCT), histology, immunohistochemistry and fluorochrome labelling. As a result, engineered bone was observed in all treated mandibles, with a statistically significant increase in mandibular bone volume correlated with the amount of BMP-2 loaded in the hydrogel formula. We therefore demonstrated that minimally invasive mandibular bone augmentation is possible upon injection in rats, when using the appropriate injectable scaffolds. This represents an attractive clinical alternative for oral implantology patients.

These results imply that oral surgeons should pay particular attention to implant placement in patients with low alveolar bone quality. The cranial aspects of the mandibular canal might be only fragmentarily or even completely missing. Consequently, they hardly present resistance during implant site preparation, and the risk for nerve injury, e.g., due to post-surgery hematoma, could be increased.