LONG-TERM OUTCOMES OF DIFFERENT RECONSTRUCTION OPTIONS USING AUTOGENOUS BONE GRAFT FOR MANDIBULAR RECONSTRUCTION: A RETROSPECTIVE COMPARATIVE STUDY

Background: Several recent studies have attempted to document VBG and NVBG following mandibular reconstruction, mainly the advantages and disadvantages, but very few have specifically evaluated the differences in large parameters including both radiographic and functional aspects for long-term follow-up. However, the object of this study is to compare between two different methods of reconstruction in mandibular defects and to determine the outcomes of different reconstruction options using autogenous vascularized and nonvascularized bone grafts for mandibular reconstruction. Patients and Methods: a total of 39 patients, 22 (56.4%) females and 17 (43.6%) males, with a mean age of 36.41 years at the time of presentation (age ranged for 48 years). Study was performed in two stages at the Department of Head and Neck Surgery - Oral and Maxillofacial oncology. In the First stage (N=39), bone-density, bone resorption, and bone graft failure were examined radiographically on panorex and CBCT. The second stage included functional evaluation (physical examination and questionnaire) based on pain, infection, speech and recurrence. Both groups were followed-up for at least 1month, 6 months and 1 year. Results:the results show significant difference in Pain after one month (p=0.032), radiodensity (p=0.05), bone graft resorption (p=0.03) for 1 year follow-up in favor of the VBG group compared to the NVBG group, there was no statistical difference in bone graft failure, infection, speech and recurrence between the two groups. Conclusion: Vascularized bone graft is the method of choice, especially in extensive malignant defects. On the other hand, novascularized bone graft (81.2% success rate) is a suitable complementary flap for mandible reconstruction mainly in benign and healthy patients. For future studies, large sample size with long-term follow-up more than 1 year will be required to validate our study.