Glossary

Working definitions of the terms used on this site, as they are used in the clinical and materials literature, with the source for each. Written for clinicians. Each entry says where the term matters for the composition under development and links to the pages where it is discussed.

01Alginate (as a bone graft matrix)sodium alginate · calcium alginate · alginate hydrogel · alginic acid · alginA polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed that forms a hydrogel when its chains are cross-linked by calcium ions. In bone grafting it is studied as a carrier for particles; it is not the alginate used for dental impressions.02Alveolar ridge preservation (ARP)socket preservation · ridge preservation · socket graftingProcedures carried out at the time of tooth extraction to limit the loss of ridge width and height that follows, typically by filling the socket with graft material and covering it with a membrane, a collagen plug or a soft-tissue graft.03Bone graft carrierbinder · excipient · carrier matrix · graft vehicle · bone graft binderThe component of a putty, paste or gel graft that binds the graft particles together and controls handling. Carriers in use include collagen, carboxymethylcellulose, glycerol, poloxamer, hyaluronic acid and hydrogels.04Bone graft puttyputty bone graft · moldable bone graft · malleable bone graft · bone graft paste · bone puttyBone graft particles or fibres pre-mixed with a carrier — collagen, carboxymethylcellulose, glycerol, poloxamer or hyaluronic acid — into a cohesive, mouldable mass that holds its shape when placed.05Bone grafting material (FDA dental device category)21 CFR 872.3930 · product code LYC · product code NPM · product code NUN · product code NPZ · dental bone grafting material deviceThe FDA category for dental bone grafts: a material intended to fill, augment or reconstruct periodontal or bony defects of the oral and maxillofacial region (21 CFR 872.3930). Class II unless it contains a therapeutic biologic.06Graft displacementparticle migration · graft migration · graft washout · loss of graft particles · graft mobilityMovement of graft particles away from the site where they were placed — during flap advancement and suturing, under pressure from the flap or a prosthesis, or through an exposed membrane. Clinicians say the graft "comes out".07Guided bone regeneration (GBR)GBR · membrane-guided bone regenerationA surgical technique in which a barrier membrane is placed over a bone defect, usually with graft material beneath it, to keep soft-tissue cells out and give bone-forming cells the space and time to regenerate bone.08Hydrogelhydrogel carrier · hydrogel scaffold · injectable hydrogel · in situ gelling hydrogelA three-dimensional network of hydrophilic polymer chains that holds a large proportion of water. In bone grafting, hydrogels serve as carriers for graft particles or as scaffolds; natural (alginate, collagen, hyaluronate) or synthetic.09Particulate bone graftparticulate graft · granular bone graft · bone graft granules · bone chips · particulated boneBone graft material supplied as loose granules or particles — autogenous chips, allograft, xenograft or synthetic — that is packed into a defect and held in place by the flap, a membrane, sutures or a carrier.10Sinus floor elevationsinus lift · sinus augmentation · lateral window sinus lift · transcrestal sinus lift · osteotome sinus liftA procedure that lifts the floor of the maxillary sinus and its lining membrane to create a space that is filled with graft material, so that implants can be placed in the posterior maxilla where bone height is insufficient.11Space maintenancespace making · space provision · PASS principlesKeeping open the volume in which new bone is to form, against the pressure of the soft tissue above it, until bone fills it. One of the four PASS principles of bone regeneration: primary closure, angiogenesis, space maintenance, stability.12Sticky bonePRF sticky bone · CGF sticky bone · platelet-rich fibrin bone graft · fibrin-bound graftA clinician's term for particulate graft mixed with the patient's own platelet concentrate (A-PRF, CGF or similar) so that the fibrin holds the particles together as a mouldable mass. Prepared at the chair from a blood draw.13Volume stabilityvolumetric stability · dimensional stability · graft volume maintenance · ridge volume stabilityThe degree to which an augmented site keeps its dimensions over time — measured on CBCT as the change in ridge width, ridge height or graft volume between placement and re-entry or follow-up.