Floor of mouth prosthesis with removable depressible tongue: A clinical report

December’s 2022 Full Issue PDF

“…A multidisciplinary approach to treating complex patients with these types of defects most commonly includes reconstructive surgery, maxillofacial prosthodontics, speech pathology, and anaplastology. 17 The tongue is an essential organ for a patient to perform the basic functions of speech and deglutition. The excision of a portion or the entirety of the tongue creates significant limitations for these patients.…”

“…18 Aponte-Wesson et al (2022) described fabrication of a silicone tongue prosthesis, which increased a patients speech intelligibility from 44% to 80%, decreased signs of aspiration and oral residue after swallowing and greatly improved the patients' quality of life. 17 A prosthetic tongue helps to modulate vocal frequencies in the oral cavity, much like the natural tongue does. Rehabilitation with a tongue prosthesis also allows patients to improve dietary intake by aiding in directing a food bolus posteriorly into the esophagus.…”