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Abstract The regenerative treatment of infectious vertical bone defects remains difficult and challenging today. Current clinical treatments are limited in their ability to control bacteria and infection, which is unfavorable for new bone formation and calls for a new type of material with excellent osteogenic and antibacterial properties. Here a multifunctional scaffold is synthesized that mimics natural bone nanostructures by incorporating silver nanowires into a hierarchical, intrafibrillar mineralized collagen matrix (IMC/AgNWs), to achieve the therapeutic goals of inhibiting bacterial activity and promoting infectious alveolar bone augmentation in rats and beagle dogs. An appropriate concentration of 0.5 mg mL−1 AgNWs is selected to balance biocompatibility and antibacterial properties. The achieved IMC/AgNWs exhibit a broad spectrum of antimicrobial properties against Gram‐negative Porphyromonas gingivalis and Gram‐positive Streptococcus mutans. When the IMC/AgNWs are cocultured with periodontal ligament stem cells, it possesses excellent osteoinductive activities under both non‐inflammatory and inflammatory conditions. By constructing a rat mandibular infected periodontal defect model, the IMC/AgNWs achieve a near‐complete healing through the canonical BMP/Smad signaling. Moreover, the IMC/AgNWs enhance vertical bone height and osseointegration in peri‐implantitis in beagle dogs, indicating the clinical translational potential of IMC/AgNWs for infectious vertical bone augmentation.

Purpose: To propose and evaluate a novel method for achieving a favorable bone-to-implant contact (BIC) area for zygomatic implants (ZIs). Materials and Methods: Patients who needed ZIs to restore a severely atrophied maxilla were recruited. In preoperative virtual planning, an algorithm was utilized to find the ZI trajectory that would achieve the largest BIC area with a predefined entry point on the alveolar ridge. The surgery was conducted according to the preoperative plan with the assistance of real-time navigation. Area BIC (A-BIC), linear BIC (L-BIC), distance from implant to infraorbital margin (DIO), distance from implant to infratemporal fossa (DIT), implant exit section, and deviation of the real-time navigated surgery were measured and compared between the preoperative plan and the placed ZIs. The patients were followed up for 6 months. Results: Overall, 11 patients with 21 ZIs were included. The A-BICs and L-BICs were significantly higher in the preoperative plan than in the placed implants (P < .05). Meanwhile, there were no significant differences in DIO or DIT. The planned-placed deviation was 2.31 ± 1.26 mm for the entry, 3.41 ± 1.77 mm for the exit, and 3.06 ± 1.68 degrees for the angle. All ZIs survived to the 6-month follow-up. Conclusion: This novel method can virtually calculate the trajectory of ZIs and transfer the preoperative plan to surgery to acquire a favorable BIC area. The actual positions of placed ZIs were slightly deviated from the ideal due to navigation errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]