CLOSURE OF OROANTRAL COMMUNICATION USING GUIDED TISSUE REGENERATION AND AN ABSORBABLE GELATIN MEMBRANE

SURGICAL INTERVENTION INTO THE MAXILLARY POSTERIOR area can lead to in advertent communication with the maxillary sinus. Spontaneous healing of 1 to 2 mm openings can occur. However, in patients with larger oroa ntral communications and those with a history of sinus disease, surgic al closure is often indicated. Acute and chronic oroantral fistula and sinusitis can occur as a result of inadequate treatment. The most com mon causes of complications include inadequate site preparation, flap closure, nap necrosis, infection, and patient non-compliance. A techni que for the closure of oroantral communications using guided tissue re generation is described. This technique utilizes an absorbable gelatin film (membrane), allogenic bone graft material (DFDBA), and nonresorb able expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane. The gelatin me mbrane prevents displacement of graft material into the antrum and sin us epithelial cell migration, while the ePTFE membrane promotes select ive cell population with subsequent regeneration of the osseous wall o f the oroantral defect.