Reconstruction of mandibular defects by autogenous bone grafts: a review of 37 cases

Thirty-seven cases of autogenous bone grafted to the mandible at the maxillofacial unit, Kaduna, Nigeria, were reviewed. The ilium was used in the majority of cases. In four cases where the recipient beds were vascular, the rib was used. The various techniques for restoring the central arch defects of the mandible are discussed and the methods we used are described. The superiority of autogenous bone grafts over homografts and heterografts is emphasized.