Oromandibular reconstruction using microvascular composite free flaps. Report of 71 cases and a new classification...

We describe 71 cases of oromandibular reconstruction using microvascular composite free flaps. There was an overall flap success rate of 94%, while 97% of the patients in this series had their mandibles reconstructed with free vascularized bone flaps. Fifteen patients were rehabilitated with implant-borne dental prostheses. Primary repair of discontinuity defects of the inferior-alveolar nerve using a variety of nerve grafts was performed in 16 patients. A new classification scheme for composite defects of the oral cavity involving bone, soft tissue, and neurologic defects is proposed and applied in the description of each of the patients in this series.