The Post-Surgical Prosthetic Rehabilitation of a Patient with Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

The presence of an unnoticed oral tumour prevented a 68-year old female from wearing a mandibular denture. The oral tumour (squamous cell carcinoma) was situated in the third quadrant of the oral cavity and presented a number of problems for the patient. Such problems included poor aesthetics, difficulty in mastication, digestion, pain and oral sensitivity. The tumour was removed surgically with minimal difficulty. Once sufficient healing has taken place, two mandibular implants were placed in the region of the canines and osseointegration was allowed to take place. Problems arose when the oral surgeon found that the implant in the third quadrant of the oral cavity was placed too far facially thus making the selection of suitable abutments difficult. To overcome this problem, it was decided that the healing abutments would be made of molloplast-B. The fitting surface of the mandibular denture was thus lined with molloplast-B and flasked and processed in the conventional manner. The completed appliance was then delivered to the patient and was a success since it eliminated the afore-mentioned problem areas.