Dental Rehabilitation of the Scapular Tip in Maxillary Reconstruction.

INTRODUCTION

The fibula-free flap has traditionally been utilized to perform dental rehabilitation following maxillectomy. The purpose of this study is to present our experience with dental implantation of the scapula-tip-free flap in midface reconstruction.

METHODS

Fifteen adult patients underwent midface reconstruction with dental implantation using the scapula tip between January 2013 and December 2023. Implant success was defined as maintenance of the implant after 6 months of healing with associated functional prosthetic rehabilitation.

RESULTS

A total of 35 implants were placed into 15 scapula-free flaps. There were four implant failures (11.4%) that occurred in three patients (20%) during the study period resulting in an overall implant success rate of 88.6% with a median follow-up period of 2.8 years. All patients were restored with a removable implant overdenture.

CONCLUSION

Dental implantation can be achieved in the scapula tip following maxillectomy with a high degree of success.