Management of Oroantral Fistula: Report of Experience at a Teaching Hospital, Northwest Nigeria, and Review of Literature

Background: Oroantral fistula (OAF) is an abnormal communication between the maxillary sinus and the oral cavity. It is also described as oroantral communication. The common causes of this abnormal communication are traumatic extractions of maxillary premolars and molars, dental implant surgery, sinus infection and excision of tumour in the palate. Aim: This study aimed at describing our management protocols for OAF in our centre. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective review of cases of OAF treated in the Dental/Maxillofacial Unit of Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital for a period of five years (January 2018 to December 2023). After obtaining ethical approval from the ethics committee of the hospital, all patients who were managed with OAF were included. Information such as patients’ demographic causes of the fistula and treatment giving were recorded. The data obtained were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM SPSS version 11.0). Results: Fifteen patients were treated during the period of study: 11 (%) were females while 4 (%) were males. The patients were in the range of …. years with mean ± standard deviation SD of 18 to 58 years with mean age of 38, ±11.55 SD. Conclusion: OAF can be successfully treated with various flap procedures which include buccal flap, palatal flap and buccal pad of flap.