Contemporary Osseous Reconstruction of the Mandible and the Maxilla

Cancers of the oral cavity and paranasal sinuses often require ablative surgery with adjuvant therapy in most cases. Large, postablative defects of the mandible and the maxilla present several challenges to the reconstructive surgeon. Functional and cosmetically satisfactory restoration requires a thorough understanding of the underlying disease process, a firm grasp of the nuances of head and neck anatomy, and an ability to plan and execute a reconstruction with the most suitable tissue for each particular patient. The authors outline the components of osseous reconstruction of the facial skeleton with a bias toward techniques and approaches that are particularly useful.