The ascending ramus of the mandible as a donor site in maxillofacial bone grafting

Purpose: The goal of this study was to quantify the amount of bone graft material present in the anterior part of ascending ramus while avoiding the inferior alveolar neurovascular bundle injury. Materials and Methods: This study was made on 16 samples of dry skull. Osteotomies were made in front of the mandibular canal from the mandibular notch to 3 mm posterior of the root of the third molar. The dimensions, the surface area, and the volume of the bone grafts were measured and evaluated. Results: The average dimensions of the graft material obtained from the anterior part of ascending ramus were 37.60x33.17x22.48x9.15 mm; the average bone volume was 2.36 mL; and the average surface area of the graft material was 495.13 mm(2). Conclusion: The results of the present study show that the anterior part of ascending ramus can be used as the donor site for reconstruction of small bone defects in the oral and maxillofacial region. (C) 2002 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.