Valutazione clinica e radiografica del rimodellamento volumetrico degli innesti ossei autologhi nelle ricostruzioni maxillo-facciali delle creste atrofiche a fini impiantari ed analisi a cluster dei geni coinvolti nei processi di rimodellamento osseo

SURGICAL-RADIOGRAPHIC PART:The aim of the present retrospective chart review was to determine the relationship between nonvascularized osseous graft remodeling and the three-dimensional (3D) features of grafts and recipient sites, the anatomical recipient regions and different graft procedures. 18 iliac crest were onlay-positioned in the mandible or maxilla or used in sinus lift procedures. CT scans, taken before implant positioning and after 1 year, revealed a mean volume resorption of 40%. For iliac crest grafts, the average resorption was 36% when the onlay was positioned in the anterior maxilla, 77% when it was positioned in the posterior mandible and 17% in sinus lift procedures. GENIC PART: This part of the study aims to identify and rank genes involved in osseous augmentation or bone remodeling to obtain groups with more numerous predicted associations called the leader gene clusters. An iterative search (consisting of a consecutive expansion-filtering loop) was performed for which only genes involved in a specific process were identified. For each gene, predicted associations with all other involved genes were obtained from a Web-available database (Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins) and the weighted number of links (WNL), given by the sum of only high-confidence predicted associations (results with a score > or =0.9), allowing gene ranking. A total of 161 genes potentially involved in bone-volume augmentation and 128 genes connected with the bone-remodeling phenomenon were identified.