Influence of skin graft pathology on residual ridge reduction after mandibular vestibuloplasty. A 5-year clinical and radiological follow-up study.

The present study is a 5-year clinical and radiographic follow-up of 51 patients who had undergone a combined vestibuloplasty with a split skin graft and lowering of the floor of the mouth. Our purpose was to examine the effect of clinically evident graft pathology on the residual ridge reduction. The clinical records of the graft condition were classified into: healthy graft, partial loss of keratinization, and total loss of keratinization. The residual ridge reduction was monitored by ridge height measurements at different locations, and by the symphyseal and mandibular body areas. Patients with clinical signs of graft pathology (reddening, loss of keratinization) suffered a significantly more severe residual ridge reduction than those with a healthy skin graft (p less than 0.01). Subsequent findings including smear tests showing Candida albicans hyphae, and improvement of graft condition after antimycotic therapy, indicated that the graft pathology observed is a candidiasis.