Evaluation of the crestal bone expansion obtained with the Magnetic Mallet® during the preparation of the implant site: a case series.

Background: The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of a magnetodynamic instrument (Magnetic Mallet, Metaergonomica, Turbigo, Milan, Italy) to perform a horizontal bone expansion in edentulous sites that need to be rehabilitated with a dental implant.

Methods: A sample of 15 patients, 11 men and 4 women, age between 39 and 78 years, was analyzed. A total of 18 conical-shaped implants with a diameter of 3.80 mm and a length between 10 and 11.5 mm were inserted in the maxillary region in the area between the lateral incisor and the first upper molar. The patients were treated by two different surgeons. Bone thickness was measured through CBCT before treatment and at 3 months post-surgery.

Results: No implant failed and all of them achieved a correct osseointegration. The average pre-surgery bone thickness was 4.36±0.70 mm, it changed to 5.58±1.11 mm after using the Magnetic Mallet, finally stabilized at 6.72±1.24 mm with the insertion of the implant. CBCT examination revealed a statistically significant difference in mean bone thickness before treatment and at 3 months post-surgery with a mean bone thickness of respectively 4.39±0.60 mm and 6.97±1.25 mm. Significantly different outcomes were obtained by operators with a different learning curve.

Conclusions: At 3 months of follow-up, the Magnetic Mallet proved to be a useful tool in the horizontal expansion of the atrophic upper jaw bone crest, along with the preparation of the implant site. A learning curve is necessary to optimize the clinical outcomes. Further studies are needed with a larger patient cohort and a longer follow-up to confirm the present results.