The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the literature of the various surgical options available for the correction posterior maxillary alveolar ridge excess without going for radical approaches. It also analyzed the effectiveness of posterior maxillary segmental osteotomy in prosthetic rehabilitation in terms of stability, success rates, function, occlusion, aesthetics and long term postoperative complications.

A systematic search of Medline/Pubmed and Web of Science databases of English articles published till December 2017 for the treatment of vertical excess in the posterior maxilla for prosthetic reasons was performed. A total of 37 articles met the inclusion criteria.

Posterior maxillary segmental osteotomy (PMSO) was performed as a single stage procedure in 23 cases with minimal post- operative discomfort in all cases. The amount of superior positioning of the osteotomised maxilla ranged between 4 mm to 9 mm which provides sufficient space for prosthodontic rehabilitation.

PMSO is fairly competent in treating vertical ridge excess of posterior maxilla, makes space for prosthesis and is associated with fewer postoperative problems when a multidisciplinary team approach is put into service.