[Plastic surgery of oroantral perforations superfluous in the future?]

An oroantral perforation can occur with the extraction of a premolar or molar in the upper jaw. Small perforations with a deep extraction alveolus can be treated using sutures only; larger perforations are treated surgically, using a buccal sliding or palatal flap. The distinction between small and large perforations can be difficult to make. As a result, oroantral perforations are usually treated by plastic closure. This pilot study presents a new, simple, time-reducing method for the treatment of oroantral perforations using a biodegradable membrane without primary closure of the wound. Six patients with a positive nose-blowing test after extraction were treated according to the new method. In all 6 patients the oroantral perforation was closed after 2 weeks and each showed adequate wound healing after 6 weeks. More research is needed to confirm the results of this preliminary study and the use of this technique on larger perforations.