TITLE:
Implant-Supported Full Fixed Prostheses with a Removable Oro-Nasal Obturator for the Edentulous Maxilla with Palatal Fistula due to Surgical Procedures for Oral Cancer
AUTHORS:
Akifumi Enomoto, Takeshi Shimoide, Eri Morikage, Kazuhide Matsunaga, Takao Mukai, Takayuki Uchihashi, Suguru Hamada
KEYWORDS:
Implant-Supported Full Fixed Prostheses, Oro-Nasal Obturator, Oral Tumor
JOURNAL NAME:
Surgical Science,
Vol.7 No.10,
September
28,
2016
ABSTRACT: Open
oro-nasal defects resulting after oral tumor resection need structural and functional
rehabilitation using dental prostheses. Conventional removable prostheses have
usually been indicated and performed for prosthodontics. When the patient has
an edentulous maxilla, the unfavorable stability of the prosthesis will cause
dysfunction of mastication and pronunciation. To achieve improvement of the
impaired functional situation, implant-supported full fixed prostheses (IPSPs)
for the edentulous maxilla with a removable obturator offer a reasonable
solution. We present herein the case of a 70-year-old Japanese man who has presented with oro-nasal defect due to surgical
procedures for oral cancer. He was treated with implant-supported full fixed
prostheses in a conventional two-step procedure. After prosthesis treatment, a
palatal obturator was set. The patient has shown no clinical or radiological
evidence of failure as of 24 months after the end of treatment. Functional
evaluation of mastication and pronunciation showed dramatic improvements. For a
patient with an edentulous maxilla and palatal fistula, full-arch fixed
prostheses supported by a combination of axially and non-axially positioned
implants and a removable oro-nasal obturator, using the anterior alveolar bone,
without bone transplantation or maxillary sinus elevation, could offer an
effective, minimally invasive treatment alternative.