Alternative surgical management of oroantral fistula using auricular cartilage.

One of the clinical complications encountered by oral and maxillofacial surgeons is oroantral communication (OAC) with subsequent formation of oroantral fistula (OAF). Many techniques and treatment modalities have been described for the management of OAC and OAF. There are advantages and disadvantages of all these techniques. We report a 21-year-old male patient who was admitted to our department for the presence of an OAF and was treated using an auricular cartilage graft. This technique may be useful to treat OAF and to provide a solid alveolar bone site for subsequent pre-implant surgery. Key words:Auricular cartilage, implant surgery, oroantral fistula.