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PURPOSETo longitudinally assess the quality of life in maxillectomy patients rehabilitated with obturator prosthesis.MATERIALS AND METHODSThirty-six subjects were enrolled in the span of 16 months, out of which six were dropouts. Subjects (age group 20-60 years) with maxillary defects, irrespective of the cause, planned for definite obturator prosthesis, were recruited. The Hindi version of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, Head and Neck version 1 of Quality of Life Questionnaire was used before surgical intervention and one month after definitive obturator. Questionnaire includes 35 questions related to the patient's physical health, well being, psychological status, social relation and environmental conditions. The data were processed with statistical package for social science (SPSS). Probability level of P<.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTSThe quality of life after rehabilitation with obturator prosthesis was 81.48% (±13.64) on average. On item-level, maximum mean scores were obtained for items problem with teeth (1.87 ± 0.94), pain in mouth (1.80 ± 0.92), trouble in eating (1.70 ± 0.88), trouble in talking to other people (1.60 ± 1.22), problems in swallowing solid food (1.57 ± 1.22) and bothering appearance (1.53 ± 1.04); while minimum scores were obtained for the items coughing (1.17 ± 0.38), hoarseness of voice (1.17 ± 0.53), painful throat (1.13 ± 0.43), trouble in having social contacts with friends (1.10 ± 0.40) and trouble having physical contacts with family or friends (1.10 ± 0.31).CONCLUSIONObturator prosthesis is a highly positive and non-invasive approach to improve the quality of life of patients with maxillectomy defects.

The results of this study suggested that although masticatory performance and efficiency were not statistically different for single teeth replaced with implants or FPDs, patients perceived higher satisfaction with implant restorations; they also preferred the shorter treatment times for rehabilitation in the FPD group.

The aim of this clinical report was to observe the effect of complete dentures on craniofacial growth and development of an ectodermal dysplasia (ED) patient. A complete anodontia patient diagnosed with ED was successfully rehabilitated with conventional complete dentures at the ages of 5, 8, and 10 years. Three sets of complete dentures were made with age-appropriate denture teeth and a bilaterally balanced lingualized occlusal scheme. Periodic follow-up and adjustment when needed was done to maintain proper oral function and esthetics. Serial cephalometric analysis exhibited a marked restriction of forward growth at the anterior nasal spine (ANS) point between 5 and 10 years of age, although there was little change from average in the anteroposterior length of the mandibular body and the height of the mandibular ramus. So, while maxillary growth was reduced, mandibular growth did not significantly change. Cast analysis showed that the increase in arch length was greater than in arch width for both the maxilla and mandible. There was little increase in alveolar ridge height in the anterior region but a considerable increase in the height of the alveolar ridge in the middle and the posterior region. Our findings concluded that the absence of teeth did not affect the growth of the jaws, and it is probable that the denture flange did not arrest the jaw growth, but rather improved the masticatory function by providing good denture stability and retention.

A contracted eye socket is a cosmetic blemish to the patient. It not only renders patients unable to wear an eye prosthesis, but also becomes a source of chronic discharge and irritation. Orbital implants allow for cosmesis and volume replacement of an enucleated or eviscerated eye. Alloplastic orbital implants are associated with potential complications, including exposure and extrusion. A dermis-fat graft offers the advantages of relative availability and an autologous nature. This article reports on a patient suffering from severe postenucleation socket syndrome after enucleation of the bulbus with postoperative irradiation of the orbit due to retinoblastoma and its subsequent management by a dermal-fat graft and ocular prosthesis. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the usefulness of dermal-fat grafting as a safe and stable orbital volume replacement following enucleation.