Oral Rehabilitation of Segmental Mandibulectomy with Extensive Fibrosis- A Daunting Obstacle for the Maxillofacial Prosthodontist

Abstract

The fifth most frequent malignancy worldwide is head and neck cancer. Following surgical removal of lesions of the oral cavity, mandibular resection can result in undesirable effects, such as altered mandibular movements, disfigurement, dysphagia, impaired speech, and deviation of the mandible in the direction of the resected site. After a marginal or segmental mandibulectomy, prompt rehabilitation is preferred since aesthetic and functional deficiencies impair a patient’s quality of life. The contribution of maxillofacial prosthodontists safeguards the prosthetic viability, driven by a prosthetic proposed plan. Maxillofacial prosthodontists should be included from the start, and they play a crucial and directing role in this procedure. This article specifies the treatment of a 52-yearold male patient with extensive fibrosis who had a reduced mouth opening as a result of right side segmental mandibulectomy. The mandible was difficult to manipulate into occlusion due to considerable fibrosis that had formed over time, thus a guiding flange prosthesis was not employed in this case. To address the patient’s inability to chew food, a double occlusion table was designed using the remaining maxillary teeth. A 3-month follow-up was performed, as well as the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) was done prior to and following the treatment.

Keywords

• dental prosthesis design
• head and neck oncology
• mandibular defects
• maxillofacial prosthesis
• oral health-related quality of life