Background: We conducted an comparative anatomy study of two sites for harvesting bone grafts for implant surgery: the mandibular symphysis and the ramus area.
Material and method: Fifty-two anatomical specimens were studied (34 from the retormolar region and 18 from the symphysis region. Measurement were: size, weight, bone volume, bone density, cortical/cancellous ratio.
Results: Samples from the two sites gave equivalent results.
Discussion: We describe the harvesting method and the difficulties encountered at each site. The retromolar site appears to be an attractive alternative to the symphysis region for bone graft harvesting.