Implant placement and bone biopsy harvest
CBCT (NewTom VG, NewTom, Italy) images (voxel size, 0.125 mm; field, 12 × 8 cm; exposure, 5.4 s; energy, 3.6 mA) were taken 2 months after ARP to evaluate bone quantity and plan the treatment modality. Under local anaesthesia, full-thickness flaps were elevated. A trephine (Chuangying, Jiangsu, China) core of 3 × 10 mm was obtained with saline irrigation from the preserved area. If the available bone height was lower than 10 mm, the bone sample of maximum length was harvested according to CBCT. Osteotomy was prepared, followed by implant placement. The flaps were repositioned, and the wound was sutured. Patients were given the same postoperative instructions as in the previous surgical procedure. The harvested bone cores were fixed in 10% formalin for histological evaluation.