title: A preliminary study of monocortical bone grafts for oroantral fistula closure.
abstract: Sinus floor elevation has become a standard procedure in patients affected by severe maxillary atrophy, before implant placement, provided that the maxillary sinus is intact and uninfected. In the case of an oroantral fistula, simple soft tissue closure may interfere with the process of elevating the Schneiderian membrane. Total regeneration of the bony sinus floor is necessary to prevent disruption of the sinus membrane. In this study, 5 patients with oroantral fistulae of different causes were treated with autogenous monocortical bone blocks harvested from the chin. Press-fit closure for bony repair of the basal maxilla was sufficient in 3 of them. Two patients needed additional internal graft fixation. In the meantime, the 3 aforementioned patients underwent a successful sinus lift procedure. The use of a monocortical bone block for the closure of an oroantral fistula is recommended before internal sinus augmentation.
authors.affiliation: University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. robert.haas@univie.ac.at
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Watzak
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tepper
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mailath
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Watzek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001860:Bone Plates; D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D001863:Bone Screws; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000601:surgery; D009957:Oroantral Fistula / Q000601:surgery*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous