Mandibula distraction osteogenesis for lengthening the mandibula to correct a malocclusion: a more than 70-year-old German concept in craniofacial surgery.

Bone distraction is still on the rise again since McCarthy et al. presented in their clinical investigation new osseous formation in the elongated area while performing the distraction of the mandible in 1992. But at the level of craniofacial skeleton, the initial description to the technique of distraction osteogenesis should be credited to the German craniofacial surgeons Rosenthal for the bone lengthening of the mandible in a microgen patient in 1927. The procedure is described and the original schedules and case are presented.

Mandibular distraction osteogenesis: a historic perspective and future directions.

Although orthognathic surgery has gained a generalized acceptance for maxillomandibular deformity correction, several limitations are associated with acute advancement of osteotomized bone segments. Furthermore, large skeletal discrepancies, such as those seen in syndromic patients, require such extensive bone movements that the surrounding soft tissues will not adapt to their new position, resulting in relapse or compromised function and esthetics. Recently, a number of experimental and clinical investigations have demonstrated that gradual mechanical traction of bone segments at an osteotomy site created in the craniofacial region can generate new bone parallel to the direction of traction. This phenomenon, known as distraction osteogenesis, opens up new possibilities in the correction of craniofacial deformities by orthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons. Hence, the purpose of this article is to review the historic development and biologic foundation of mandibular distraction osteogenesis, critically evaluate the current mandibular distraction devices with their clinical applications, and predict the future evolution of mandibular osteodistraction techniques.