Modified anterior maxillary segmental osteotomy – a pilot study

Abstract

AbstractAim: A pilot study was done with 15 patients who underwent a modified anterior maxillary segmental osteotomy (AMO) surgical procedure in our hospital, and various advantages of this technique were appraised with emphasis on the vitality of teeth in the osteotomy segment evaluated after surgery.Materials and methods: A total of 15 patients who underwent the modified technique were included in the study. One patient who had non‐vital discoloured anterior teeth was excluded and the remaining 14 were included in the study. The vitality of all the six anterior maxillary teeth was done through thermal pulp testing after 1 week and 3 months post‐operatively, and recorded.Results: The vitality test done 1 week post‐surgically showed that all six anterior teeth responded immediately within 2 s in 12 patients with thermal stimulus; in two patients, the left maxillary canines were not responsive. The same test done after 3 months showed, in one of the affected two patients, an immediate response was regained in the left canine.Conclusion: The modified technique is a versatile and less time‐consuming method when compared to the conventional AMO procedures. The vitality of teeth were least affected when this technique is used and the nasal changes were also negligible.