Incidence of Alveoloplasty and Its Indications – Protocol to Reduce the Incidence

Alveoloplasty is one of the common pre prosthetic surgical procedure carried out in dental surgical practice setups. The aim of pre-prosthetic surgery is to improve the quality of oral supporting structures, which can provide better retention and stability to dental prosthesis. It also prevents any further hard or soft tissue loss. Alveoloplasty procedure is used for recontouring of bony irregularities at time of extractions or after initial healing. Simplest form includes squeezing of socket walls at time of extraction, which reduces the incidence of secondary alveoloplasty at later stages when patient requires denture rehabilitation. It may involve more complex procedures such as maxillary tuberosity reduction, removal of excessive undercuts, and bony exostosis like mandibular and palatal tori. It also reduces the chances of post-operative discomfort and complications. Mucosa covering the alveolar arches after alveoloplasty should be of uniform thickness and density so that occlusal load is distributed equally throughout the dental arches, making it more comfortable for patients to wear prosthesis. This study includes data consisting of number of patients requiring secondary alveoloplasty at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery department of Islamic International Dental Hospital in last 3 years (2009, 2010 and 2011). It also includes the symptoms with which patients present and suggestions/ protocols to reduce the incidence of this second surgical procedure. We have implemented these protocols in this department, to reduce the need of secondary alveoloplasty because this procedure causes extra financial and surgical burden on patients. It also delays the rehabilitation of oral health. Second arm of this study is being planned after implementation of these protocols to evaluate their outcome.