Low incidence of severe adverse effects after mandibular ridge reconstruction using hydroxylapatite

The short and long term adverse effects after ridge reconstruction using hy droxylapatite (HA) are presented in this study. The HA was inserted using a modified tunnelling technique, followed by a lowering of the floor of the mouth and a vestibuloplasty using split thickness skin graft, 4-6 weeks lat er. The study comprised 637 patients followed for a period of 1 to 10 years (mean 6.0+/-2.6 years). Major loss of HA was seen in 17 patients (2.7%). D onor site visibility (skin graft) appeared to improve greatly over the year s from 29.2% to 8.8% at the latest follow-up. Neurosurgery deficits also im proved from 11.6% (paraesthesia and dysaesthesia) to 4.6%. Long term follow -up revealed a high percentage of patient satisfaction (97%), indicating th at the low incidence of severe adverse effects of the procedure does play a significant role in the appreciation of the procedure and prosthetic care.