Osteoradionecrosis of a Mandible: A Case Report of Implant-Supported Rehabilitation

Abstract

The head and neck are the sixth most common sites of cancer in the world; the survival rate at 5 years from diagnosis is 60%. Surviving patients, after the critical phase of the disease, require proper rehabilitation. The treatment of oral neoplasia, such as surgery and radiotherapy, may often determine significant disability, such as impaired speech, swallowing, mastication and facial deformity, with severe consequences on the quality of life of these patients. Dental implant-based prosthodontic rehabilitation is a consolidated technique for improving the quality of life in patients who have overcome oral cancer. Implants provide stability and support for removable prostheses in oral cavities seriously deformed by surgical treatment. Moreover, mobile prostheses have the advantage of being removable, to check the health of oral tissues and intercept possible relapses of the neoplasia. On the other hand, a lack of residual bone following resection makes it difficult to place implants in an ideal position, and patients who have been submitted to radiotherapy of the head and neck are reported to have a reduced success rate. This paper presents the case of a 67-year-old woman rehabilitated with dental implant-based prosthesis after a hemimandibulectomy due to osteoradionecrosis, without bone reconstruction.