The thick ridge of bone that houses the sockets for the teeth on the jawbones and holds the teeth is called the ‘alveolar process’. The tooth-bearing bones in humans are referred to as the mandible and the maxilla. The curved portion of each alveolar process is referred to as the ‘alveolar arch.’
One of the most common surgical procedures performed in oral and maxillofacial surgery is the repair of acquired or congenital alveolar defects using bone grafts. While autogenous bone grafts do require that the patient undergo a second surgical procedure, the high osteogenic potential of these grafts have made them the golden standard.