Table 1 Patient recruitment
Inclusion criteria | Exclusion criteria |
|---|---|
1. Adult patients, male and female | 1. Comorbidity ASA category ≥ III |
2. Partially/totally edentulous patients | 2. Pregnancy, bruxism |
3. Alveolar process atrophy Cawood et Howell category ≥ IV | 3. Smoking ≥ 10 cigarettes/day |
4. Minimum vertical bone height of 7–9 mm for placement of short implants (5–7-mm length) | 4. Radiotherapy ≥ 50 Gy [72] or 5. Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy [73] with a significant risk of developing osteo(radio)necrosis of the jaw |
5. Patients without willingness to accept vertical bone augmentation | 6. Psychiatric comorbidity that could influence course of treatment |
7. Untreated or poorly controlled diabetes mellitus | |
8. Highly atrophic jaws that require vertical augmentation |