Alveolar Distraction

Alveolar distraction osteogenesis (ADO) has been used for the reconstruction of atrophic alveolus for decades. The advantage of this technique is that it augments the bone and soft tissues together, creating a better alveolar platform for subsequent surgeries and dental rehabilitation. It is especially useful in patients with large and/or complex alveolar clefts for which approximating the alveolar segments reduces the size of the bony cleft and associated fistula. Displacement of the transported segment is the most frequently encountered complication of ADO but can be managed by constructing case-specific distractors.