Use of the Frontal Process of the Maxillary Bone for Implant Placement to Retain a Nasal Prosthesis: A Clinical Report

Implant placement to provide support and retention for nasal prostheses has been described in the literature. The anatomic sites that have been utilized for implant placement are the nasal bones, the premaxillary area through the nasal fossae, and the anterior wall of the frontal sinus. In the patient described, after a presurgical computerized tomography scan to determine adequacy of bone volume, 1 conventional threaded hydroxyapatite-coated root-form implant, created for intraoral use, was placed in the frontal process of the maxillary bone and 2 additional conventional implants were placed in the premaxillary area through the nasal fossa. Six months after implant placement, second-stage surgery was completed. A single bar connecting the 3 implants was fabricated. The removable nasal prosthesis was retained on the bar with 2 clips. An examination 1 year postsurgery revealed no clinical signs of pathosis. Long-term clinical follow-up of this case should continue and a sufficient number of additional cases should be investigated before use of the frontal process of the maxillary bone for implant retention can be recommended on a routine basis.