Clinical and radiological characteristics of oro-antral communications/fistulae due to implant dentistry procedures: A cross-sectional retrospective study

Objectives: Assess the unique clinical and radiological sequelae following oro-antral communications/fistulae (OAC/OAF) due to implant dentistry vs other etiologies. Materials and Methods: A structured form served to collect data from medical records. All consecutive patients who underwent surgical closure of OACs/OAFs between 2003 and 2020, at a single center were included. Demographic, radiological, clinical, operative and postoperative characteristics were collected. The differences between groups (cases with implant dentistry etiology [IDE] vs cases with other etiologies) were assessed statistically. Results: Data were gathered from 121 cases. The findings show that IDE cases were more likely to be of older age (OR = 1.07, CI [1.02, 1.13] P =.02); to have a foreign body in the maxillary sinus (OR = 21.04, CI [4.34, 114.92] P <.01); to have fluid passage (OR = 11.40, CI [1.87, 118.73] P =.02) and purulent discharge through the fistula (OR = 3.52, CI [0.86, 16.34] P =.09). Conclusions: Clinical and radiological sequelae due to OACs/OAFs secondary to implant dentistry procedures are more severe compared to other etiologies. The suggested pathogenesis is foreign body reaction. Early and accurate diagnosis of the foreign body location, followed by its early removal is recommended.