Patient self-evaluation of intra-oral bone grafting treatment to the maxillary frontal region

Bone grafting to the anterior region of the maxilla is a treatment method often used for reconstruction after dental trauma when teeth have been lost. The purpose of this study was to interview patients who underwent bone grafting from the chin or lateral mandible to assess the patients' experiences, especially regarding morbidity of the donor site and their overall assessment of treatment and care. Twenty-six patients who had undergone bone grafting from the chin and lateral mandible regions before implant treatment were interviewed about their experiences of treatment and present status 3-5 years after surgery. The patients rated the quality of presurgical information, quality of care, postoperative discomfort, postoperative pain, present discomfort and satisfaction with the final results. The patients, in general, were positive to the presurgical information and the quality of care. Postoperative pain during the first week was rated higher when grafts were taken from the chin than from the lateral mandible. Patient satisfaction with the outcome was high 3-5 years after surgery. However, patients that underwent bone grafting from the lateral mandible rated discomfort significantly lower and satisfaction significantly higher than patients who underwent chin grafting. More discomfort was reported in patients where wide bone grafts had been taken from the chin. A high degree of patient satisfaction with treatment and outcome can be expected after intra-oral bone grafting. However, surgeons should be cognizant of and patients informed about the risks of morbidity, especially when harvesting wide bone grafts from the chin. If possible, a first-hand choice for the surgeon should be grafting from the lateral mandible before considering chin graft.