Patient's perception of the events during and after osteogenic alveolar distraction.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to evaluate the patient s perception of the events during and after an osteogenic alveolar distraction (OAD) procedure MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of fifty-five (55) osteogenic alveolar distraction (OAD) procedures were performed in fifty (50) patients, who then were asked to answer ten (10) questions related to the treatment. Six (6) questions made reference to predefined values in a Visual Analogical Scale (VAS), three (3) questions could be answered by a predetermined answer, and only one (1) question had a free answer. RESULTS In 76% of cases, the patient s description of the sensation felt during the surgery was good and bearable; 84% of the patients didn t feel pain after surgery. 4% of the patients felt pain during the activation period and 58% of the patients described the sensation during the activation period as pressure, felt most commonly, at the end of the period, and for about 20 minutes (66.6 %). In these cases the most frequently used analgesic was Paracetamol. Also, 46% expressed having had some difficulty to activate the device, with 10% of them in need of extra help. The presence of the activation rod caused discomfort in 52%. Finally, 78% of the patients treated with OAD would undergo this procedure again if it was necessary. A bone graft was performed in 27 out of the 50 treated patients, with 70% of them describing the bone graft surgery as more painful than the OAD. CONCLUSION The OAD technique had a high degree of acceptance among the treated patients, however, some details as the interference of the activation rod continue to disturb them. The acceptance of the OAD technique is much better when compared with bone graft surgery technique as a second treatment.