Particulate bone graft
Bone 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.
Most bone graft material used in dentistry is particulate: granules of deproteinised bovine bone, freeze-dried or demineralised human allograft, hydroxyapatite or tricalcium phosphate, or autogenous bone harvested and chipped at the chair. Particle sizes are stated by the manufacturer in fractions of a millimetre. The alternatives are block grafts (a single shaped piece fixed with screws), collagen plugs, and pre-mixed forms such as bone graft putty.
Particulate material conforms to any defect and is the basis of guided bone regeneration, alveolar ridge preservation and sinus floor elevation. Its limitation is the same as its advantage: loose particles have no shape of their own, and keeping them in place during flap closure and the first weeks of healing depends on the membrane, the sutures and the surgeon’s technique. That is the subject of graft displacement.
In the United States, dental bone grafting material of every form is regulated as a Class II device under 21 CFR 872.3930; see bone grafting material (FDA category).
On this site
The composition under development carries particulate graft inside an alginate hydrogel; see how the composition is designed and the state of evidence.
Sources
- Block versus particulate deproteinized bovine bone mineral for guided bone regeneration of peri-implant dehiscence defects: 5-year results of a randomised trial. Clinical Oral Implants Research, 2026
- A comparative analysis of particulate bovine bone substitutes for oral regeneration: a narrative review. International Journal of Implant Dentistry, 2024
- 21 CFR 872.3930 — Bone grafting material. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations