Plate-guided transport distraction osteogenesis of mandible after the excision of an ameloblastoma with inferior alveolar nerve preservation and dental implant treatment: A case report with long-term follow-up

Abstract

Recently, the plate-guided transport distraction device (PGTD) is used as a reconstruction plate placed to fill the mandibular continuity defect. Additionally, when the mandible segments heal, osseointegrated implants (OI) with the dental prosthesis are recommended for the completion of the restoration, which is currently the gold standard. A 37-year-old female patient referred to our clinic with a complaint of pain on the right mandible. A partial mandibulectomy was performed including the ramus, angulus and corpus regions of the mandible extending from 1 cm anterior of the lesion to the subcondyle while the Inferior Alveolar Nerve (IAN) was preserved. A transport segment was created in a diameter of approximately 2 cm, including the first premolar, and a plate guided transport distractor was installed. One year after the resection and reconstruction surgery, dental implants were placed for prosthetic rehabilitation. A method of preservation of the IAN can be applied. After the radical resection of ameloblastomas, surgical management can be performed via transport distraction osteogenesis, and it has some advantages over microvascular free tissue transfer. Osseointegrated dental implants with the dental prosthesis are recommended to finalize the restoration after the healing of the mandible segments. Keywords: Inferior alveolar nerve preservation, Radical excision, Plate guided transport distraction osteogenesis, Dental implant