ObjectiveThis investigation aimed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of applying autogenous dentin (ATD) in alveolar ridge augmentation.MethodsThe PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang databases were electronically searched from January 1, 2010 to March 19, 2022 to identify clinical trials and cohort studies that employed ATD in alveolar ridge augmentation. The Cochrane Tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were employed to assess the risk of bias in randomized controlled trials and cohort studies, respectively. Data were analyzed via RevMan 5.4 software.ResultsA total of 10 studies were included, 5 of which compared ATD with autologous bone and 5 with deproteinized bovine bone matrix (DBBM). Meta-analysis indicated that ATD had preferable performance [MD=2.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.09, 2.93),P< 0.000 1] in horizontal ridge augmentation compared with autologous bone but similar effect in vertical ridge augmentation [MD=-0.06, 95%CI (-0.21, 0.08),P=0.39] at 6 months after alveolar ridge augmentation. In terms of material absorption, ATD was significantly less than autologous bone or DBBM [MD=-0.59, 95%CI (-1.03, -0.15),P=0.008; MD=-0.63, 95%CI (-1.18, -0.07),P=0.03], but no significant difference in implant stability quotient and postoperative complications was observed [MD=-0.76, 95%CI (-3.04, 1.52),P=0.51; RR=1.01, 95%CI (0.33, 3.12),P=0.98].ConclusionATD, as a bone grafted material for alveolar ridge augmentation, not only achieves similar or better bone incremental performance than autologous bone or DBBM but also has less absorption. However, further evidence from clinical trials with larger samples, higher quality, and longer follow-up period are needed to evaluate its superiority.