Functional and esthetic rehabilitation after mandibular resection in a child using a tooth/implant-supported distraction device: a case report.

After resection and autogenous bone grafting in infancy and childhood, hypotrophy of the concerned jaw can often be observed. A 6-year-old male patient with osteogenic sarcoma was treated with partial resection of the mandible from the left first molar to the right first premolar. The aim was to rehabilitate the patient functionally and esthetically as he grew. At the age of 16, after the placement of 4 Brånemark System implants in the consolidated autogeneous bone graft, the patient was treated with horizontal distraction osteogenesis. A new and unconventional type of individual tooth/implant-supported distraction device was used to lengthen the mandible by 16 mm. The implants placed to support the device were later used for prosthodontic rehabilitation. Progress in bone reconstruction, plastic coverage, and implant dentistry, as well as distraction osteogenesis, have enabled the compensation of functional and esthetic impairments caused by resection, especially in infants and young children.