PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of intra-oral bone grafts for closing chronic oro-antral fistulas (OAFs), for providing a sound basis for subsequent conventional sinus lifting and for preserving the teeth adjacent to OAFs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients with oro-antral fistulas of variable origin were treated with monocortical bone blocks harvested from the retromolar or interforaminal regions of the mandible. The preoperative treatment, the surgical procedure for both hard and soft tissue closure, and the postoperative management are reviewed in detail. RESULTS: Press-fit closure for repair of the bony sinus floor was sufficient in 17 patients. Four of them needed additional internal fixation. In all 21 patients adequate closure of the fistulas was obtained, although 3 patients (14.3%) developed wound dehiscences at the grafted sites, which healed by secondary intention. Meanwhile, 3 patients underwent successful sinus lifting. CONCLUSION: The use of monocortical bone grafts harvested at intra-oral donor sites is a safe and easy technique for repairing defects of the maxilla, especially OAFs in need of secondary closure. It provides a sound basis for subsequent conventional sinus lifting and preserves the teeth adjacent to OAFs.
PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of intra-oral bone grafts for closing chronic oro-antral fistulas (OAFs), for providing a sound basis for subsequent conventional sinus lifting and for preserving the teeth adjacent to OAFs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-one patients with oro-antral fistulas of variable origin were treated with monocortical bone blocks harvested from the retromolar or interforaminal regions of the mandible. The preoperative treatment, the surgical procedure for both hard and soft tissue closure, and the postoperative management are reviewed in detail. RESULTS: Press-fit closure for repair of the bony sinus floor was sufficient in 17 patients. Four of them needed additional internal fixation. In all 21 patients adequate closure of the fistulas was obtained, although 3 patients (14.3%) developed wound dehiscences at the grafted sites, which healed by secondary intention. Meanwhile, 3 patients underwent successful sinus lifting. CONCLUSION: The use of monocortical bone grafts harvested at intra-oral donor sites is a safe and easy technique for repairing defects of the maxilla, especially OAFs in need of secondary closure. It provides a sound basis for subsequent conventional sinus lifting and preserves the teeth adjacent to OAFs.
Authors: Pedro Henrique de Souza Lopes; Diogo de Oliveira Sampaio; Bruno Luiz de Souza Menezes; Daniel Ferreira do Nascimento; Belmino Carlos Amaral Torres Journal: Ann Maxillofac Surg Date: 2015 Jan-Jun