Dental Implants Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Dental Implants, including details on dentistry, surgery, tooth implants.

Complications in alveolar distraction osteogenesis of the atrophic mandible.

Perdijk FB, Meijer GJ, Strijen PJ, Koole R

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hospital Gelderse Vallei, Ede, The Netherlands.

To improve the starting point for placement of dental implants, 45 patients suffering from atrophied edentulous mandibles, with a vertical height varying between 7.3 and 15.8mm, were treated by alveolar vertical distraction osteogenesis (VDO). The mean follow-up period was 3 years, ranging from 1 to 7 years. Associated complications, as occurred during instalment of the distractor device, VDO period and consolidation phase, and also after dental implant placement, were evaluated. Observed complications were: early fractures (2%), late fractures (17%), bleeding or haematoma (4%), infections (6%), skin perforation (2%), mucosal dehiscence (8%), sensory disturbances (28%), sagging chin (13%) and failure of dental implants (13%). In 10 patients 2 complications and in 1 patient 3 complications were monitored. All complications occurred in the first year. It is concluded that VDO to restore vertical bone height in patients with mandibular atrophy is a surgically delicate technique with a high risk of various complications. The likelihood of the most striking complication, namely fracture occurrence, increases with decreasing residual bone height.

Published 15 October 2007 in Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg, 36(10): 916-21.
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