Statement of the problem: Although autologous bone is considered to be the gold standard grafting material, it needs to be harvested from patients, a process that can be off-putting and can lead to donor site morbidity. For this reason, homologous fresh-frozen bone (FFB) was used in the current study as an alternative graft material. Purpose of the study: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of FFB as a grafting material in complex maxillary sinus lift with immediate implant insertion. Methods: FFB was obtained from the Veneto Tissue Bank and preserved at -80°C. Twenty-one patients were surgically treated with FFB block grafts in 26 maxillary sinus rehabilitations, with 47 immediate implant insertions, with a reopening phase after six months. All patients underwent orthopanoramic X-rays and CT scans before,immediately after and four months (X-ray only) post surgery. Bone biopsies were performed in order to evaluate the volume and density of the bone grafts, which all

showed optimal adherence without complications. Results: Four months post surgery, 64% of grafts showed no evidence of bone

resorption or resizing. In all other cases resorption was slight. All implants were clinically osseointegrated, with only one implant failure during the provisional prosthetic loading stage (97.8% success rate). Histological studies confirmed these results, showing the presence of new bone and sparse osteoclastic activity four months post implantation, with 80% mature bone material observed after 12 months.

Conclusions: Use of FFB permits effective bone-adding surgery and immediate implant insertion under local anaesthesia, decreasing both chair time and patient discomfort.

Approaches providing the positioning of human amniotic membrane (HAM) within the intra-articular
space of arthritic TMJs have never been investigated. This contrasts with the increasing amount of evidence
suggesting the potential positive effects of HAM on a number of surgical conditions, even included
the interpositional arthroplasty for TMJ ankylosis. Thus, the possible usefulness of HAM to restore joint
functions in severely damaged TMJs could be hypothesized.
Based on these premises, the clinical research question ‘‘Is human amniotic membrane positioning
effective to reduce symptoms and restore jaw function in patients with severe inflammatorydegenerative
disorders of the temporomandibular joint?" has been addressed by performing a systematic
review of the literature. Out of potential 11988 and 8883 citations in the PubMed and Scopus databases,
respectively, only five were of possible interest for inclusion in the review, but none of them addressed
specifically the clinical research question.
Thus, the hypothetical background for usefulness was discussed. The benefits of HAM positioning in
TMJs with severe inflammatory-degenerative disorders could be related with its anti-inflammatory
and anti-microbial and analgesic properties as well as its low immunogenicity. Studies in which HAM
is positioned within the joint space of patients with severe TMJ degeneration, either as a discreplacing
film during major surgeries for discectomy and arthroplasty or as an injectable solution that
can be needle-inserted after an arthrocentesis procedure, should be designed to test the hypothesis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcome of the surgical repair of oral mucosal defects using cryopreserved human amniotic membrane (HAM) as a graft material. Thirty-four patients with precancerous lesions such as leukoplakia, erythroplakia, and verrucous hyperplasia were included. Fresh amniotic membrane was obtained from women undergoing elective caesarean section; the membrane was cleaned, prepared in antibiotic solutions, and preserved at -80 °C. Results suggested that HAM promotes healing and epithelialization without specific complications. Thus we conclude that the use of HAM gives promising results in the repair of post-surgical oral mucosal defects.

This case reports the usage of human amniotic membrane combined with a costochondral graft as an interpositional material in temporomandibular joint reconstruction for the first time in humans. Because of the favorable outcome 20 months postoperatively, it has to be considered as an approach bringing to light the antiadhesive potential of amniotic membrane. This case report must be regarded as initial spadework and should motivate other institutions to intensify their clinical research in this field. Because of the fact that currently used interpositional materials do not prevent the recurrence of temporomandibular joint ankylosis sufficiently, it is of great interest to establish a proper therapeutic intervention fulfilling these demands. Furthermore, the demonstrated antiadhesive properties of amniotic membrane highlight its multifaceted field of application. Nevertheless, further studies have to prove the findings reported in our case.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of amnion as a biodegradable graft material for vestibuloplasty.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of amnion as a biodegradable graft material for vestibuloplasty.