IMPLANT PROSTHETIC REHABILITATION OF POSTERIOR MANDIBLE AFTER TUMOR ABLATION WITH INFERIOR ALVEOLAR NERVE MOBILIZATION AND INLAY BONE GRAFTING: A CASE REPORT

PURPOSE: To report a successful clinical case of dental implant provisionalization of a posterior mandible resected for tumor ablation and subsequently reconstructed with interpositional bone grafting after mobilization of the inferior alveolar nerve. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 47-year-old woman with a severe posterior mandibular defect due to ablation of a squamous cell carcinoma was treated with transposition of the inferior alveolar nerve and inlay iliac bone graft. Four months later, 4 dental implants were inserted and immediately provisionalized. Bone core biopsies were taken during implant insertion. After an additional 3 months, a definitive fixed bridge was inserted. RESULTS: At the 24-month follow-up visit, all implants appeared to have osseointegrated. The histologic examination showed that the grafted bone was lined by newly formed bone without gaps at the interface. CONCLUSIONS: Inlay bone grafting can allow implant provisonalization of the posterior mandible even with a remarkable bone alveolar deficit after tumor ablation.