Ass. Prof. Dr. Bruno Nikolovski

SURGICAL OPTIONS FOR ORO-ANTRAL COMMUNICATIONS CLOSURE

An oro-antral communication is defined as a permanent pathological connection between the maxillary sinus and the septic oral cavity. This unfavorable event is usually associated with odontogenic maxillary sinusitis that can be caused by tooth extractions, infection, osteomyelitis, trauma, failed maxillary sinus lifts, bone grafts, poor positioning of dental implant fixtures and other iatrogenic complications.

Oroantral fistula (OAF) often develops after extraction of posterior maxillary teeth and requires surgical closure. Nevertheless, even gentle extraction does not always guarantee against OAF formation, so a surgeon should be capable of treating this complication.

This lecture considers main concepts and methods of plastic surgery directed to reconstruct tightness of mouth. Moreover, the advantages and disadvantages of presented methods among themselves and appreciated long-term results and aftermath of different ways of surgical technics.

The purpose of this lecture is to introduce the approach algorithm for the treatment of OAF; and review the fundamental surgical techniques for fistula closure, a comparative analysis of various methods for the plastic correction of the oroantral fistula with the use of the mucosal flap (buccal flap, palatal flap, combination techniques), buccal fat pad, tooth replantation and the osteoplastic materials based on the data from the literature and on-line publications. The characteristics of an ideal material for the plastic correction ot the oroantral fistula and the conditions for carrying out this surgery will be presented.

Ass. Prof. Bruno Nikolovski earned his DDS, MS and PhD from “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” University, Skopje, North Macedonia. Certificate of Specialty earned from “Goce Delcev” University, Stip.

In 2021, he was elected for Assistant Professor (Docent) in the fields of both oral surgery and maxillofacial surgery at the Faculty of medical sciences, University “Goce Delcev” in Stip.

In 2020, after 12 years private practice, he became part of the University Clinic for Oral surgery and implantology at the University Dental Clinical Center "St. Pantelejmon" where he works at the moment uniting the educational process with the students and clinical practice with everyday pathology.

Since 2017, he has been a Deputy Councilor in the Balkan Stomatological Society (BaSS), a Prosecutor in the Dental Chamber of Macedonia and a licensed international lecturer and trainer for implantology by the Korean Dental Association.

Since 2021, he has been a President of the National Commission for oral surgery at the Ministry of health of the Republic of North Macedonia.

Since 2022, he has been member of the National commission for nostrification of foreign certificates of specialty in oral surgery by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of North Macedonia.

He has conducted several resident programs and professional stays at Universities and private hospitals in Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, South Korea and the USA, and participated in practical courses and workshops worldwide, and was also part of two national research projects: "Assessment of the oral health status among the population in Macedonia according to the basic criteria by WHO" and "Raising the health care culture among the young population up to the age of 16".

Prof. Nikolovski was part of the organizing and scientific boards of several national and international symposia, conferences and congresses. He gave lectures at scientific conferences and congresses in the country and abroad (Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Romania, The Netherlands, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland etc.), EAO and EuroPerio congresses, as well as two world dental congresses - FDI 2013, Istanbul, Turkey and FDI 2017, Madrid, Spain.

He is a member of the Dental Chamber of Macedonia, Macedonian Dental Society, Balkan Stomatological Society, European Association for Osseointegration, British Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology and International Team for Implantology (ITI). He has published more than 100 scientific papers in domestic and international journals.