Dental Implants

Preface
O r a l a n d Cr a n i o f a c i a l I m p l a n t
Reconstruction as Foundation
for Restorative Dentistry

Ole T. Jensen, DDS, MS

Guest Editor

Dental implant reconstruction, including craniofacial reconstruction, is an evolving art

and science: an art, because there is still no absolute prescription for any given situa-
tion; a science, because after placement of millions of dental implants worldwide,
scientific knowledge is still expanding exponentially.
To contemplate repair of a defect is to seek enlightenment from master clinicians
experienced in settings as disparate as gingival esthetics and cancer reconstruction.
But there is still controversy as to which therapy to use in any given situation. Optimally,
tissue engineering will enable regeneration of all regional tissues, obtaining form and
function not based on prosthetic elements. At present though, the titanium bone
screw, in use these past four decades, remains the mainstay of most all oral and cra-
niofacial reconstructive efforts, and therefore, a foundation for restorative dentistry.
This issue of Dental Clinics of North America discusses current thinking of the most
challenging settings for the reconstructive surgeon and therefore the restorative dentist,
from the single missing tooth in the esthetic zone to complete loss of craniofacial structure.
Hopefully, this review will update the restorative dentist to enable better understanding
of the broad range of methods that have lately become standardized, including the fib-
ula flap, BMP-2 repair, all on four immediate function, and computer guidance.
Ole T. Jensen, DDS, MS
Implant Dentistry Associates of Colorado
8200 East Belleview Avenue
Suite 520E
Greenwood Village, CO 80111, USA
E-mail address:
ole.jensen@clearchoice.com

Dent Clin N Am 55 (2011) ix

doi:10.1016/j.cden.2011.08.001 dental.theclinics.com
0011-8532/11/$ see front matter 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.