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Oral rehabilitation with dental implants and quality of life following mandibular reconstruction with free fibular flap

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Abstract

Objectives

Bony reconstruction of jaw defects using the free fibular flap and dental rehabilitation mostly requires insertion of dental implants within the transferred fibula bone. The aim of this paper was to discuss results of the implant stability with data on the possible benefit for the patient’s quality of life after such treatment.

Material and methods

For clinical outcome of implants, we evaluated 26 patients with a total number of 94 dental implants after a follow-up period of 12 to 132 months. A group of 38 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction with free fibular flap could be included in the life-quality study. Evaluation included 23 patients with and 15 patients without implant-borne restoration. The quality of life was assessed using the standard QLQ C-30 questionnaire and the H&N35 module of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC).

Results

Of implants, 94.7 % were stable at the time of investigation and could be used for prosthesis. Patients with dental implants reported improvement of life quality along with better scores in most function and symptom scales; however, only values for global health status (QL2), absence of dyspnea (DY) and absence of feeding tube (HNFE) were significantly better than in the control group.

Conclusion

Dental implant insertion in fibula grafts along with implant-borne restoration is a proven concept and might lead to improved quality of life following ablative surgery of the jaw. The effect on the quality of life is not as predictable as on the implant stability.

Clinical relevance

Patients with bony defects of the jaw require bony reconstruction. This allows further masticatory rehabilitation using dental implants and might lead to improved quality of life.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Luebeck, Germany

    Hans-Christian Jacobsen, Thomas Trenkle, Peter Sieg & Samer G. Hakim

  2. Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Jena, Jena, Germany

    Falko Wahnschaff

Authors
  1. Hans-Christian Jacobsen
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  2. Falko Wahnschaff
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  3. Thomas Trenkle
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  4. Peter Sieg
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  5. Samer G. Hakim
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Correspondence to Hans-Christian Jacobsen.

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Jacobsen, HC., Wahnschaff, F., Trenkle, T. et al. Oral rehabilitation with dental implants and quality of life following mandibular reconstruction with free fibular flap. Clin Oral Invest 20, 187–192 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-015-1487-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-015-1487-3

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