Postradiotherapy Dental Implant Insertion Into Bone Grafts Harvested From Nonirradiated Tissue: Case Reports.

Abstract

Prostheses and dental implants are often used to aid oral rehabilitation after surgery (with/without radiotherapy) for oral cancer. However, some studies have reported that the insertion of dental implants into irradiated bone results in a higher frequency of implant failure than the insertion of such implants in nonirradiated bone. This report describes the cases of 4 patients with oral cancer who underwent surgery and radiotherapy (total dose: 50-86 Gy) and then had dental implants inserted within the irradiated area. In each case, an ilium bone graft or a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap containing scapular bone was transferred to the dental implant site before the insertion of the implants. Twenty-three implants were inserted. After loading, 2 implants were lost, and 21 remained stable. In patients who have undergone radiotherapy for oral cancer, transferring bone grafts harvested from nonirradiated tissue to the irradiated site before implant insertion might help to improve dental implant survival rates.