Closure of Oroantral Communications: A Review of the Literature

An oroantral communication (OAC) is an open connection between the oral cavity and maxillary sinus. The maxillary sinus takes up a large part of the body of the maxilla, generally extending into the alveolar process bordering the apices of the posterior teeth. OACs are usually caused by extraction of maxillary posterior teeth. 1,2 The thinness of the antral floor in that region ranges from 1 to 7 mm. 3 Although the incidence is relatively low (5%), 4,5 OACs are frequently encountered due to the large number of extractions. OACs may close spontaneously especially when the defect has a size smaller than 5 mm. 6 Nevertheless, to our knowledge, it has never been actually proven that small OACs (5 mm) will heal by themselves. Also, it is difficult to determine the size of the OAC clinically. To prevent chronic sinusitis and the development of fistulas, it is generally accepted that all of these defects should be closed within 24 to 48 hours. 7