[Functional recovery with prosthetic management for segmental resection of the mandible without reconstruction].

PATIENT: The patient, a 54-year-old male, consulted the Oral Surgery Department of Iwate Medical University Hospital with a complaint of a mass in the left oral base in June 1992. In September 1992, the patient was diagnosed as having cancer in the left mandibular base, and the tumor was excised by resection of the entire cervical region on the left side. Since radiation osteonecrosis in the left mandible and mandibular fracture were detected, segmental excision of the left mandible was performed in March 1993. Although the postoperative course was good without reconstruction, the patient consulted the Second Prosthetic Department to achieve functional recovery in February 1996. This patient had no occlusal contact between the maxilla and mandible because the mandible shifted to the affected side. After fixation of a mandibular prosthetic appliance for the defective mandible, a palatal plate for the maxilla in occlusal contact with the mandibular dentition and mandibular prosthetic appliance were fixed in November 1997. After fixation of a new mandibular prosthetic appliance and dentures for the maxilla with palatal ramp in April 2001, masticatory function was observed to have improved with control of the mandible. DISCUSSION: To prevent the mandibular shift and improvement of the masticatory function, a palatal plate with a palatal ramp in the occlusal contact region was fixed, and a balance of the masticatory muscles could be maintained. An evaluation of the level of improvement in the masticatory function and the pronunciation function indicated that the mandibular prosthetic appliance and palatal plate with a palatal ramp in the occlusal contact region increased the kind of food that the patient could take. Moreover, by enlarging the narrow Donders space, the pronunciation was improved. CONCLUSIONS: Fixation of a palatal plate with a palatal ramp in the occlusal contact region without reconstruction of the mandibular bone was useful for the control of mandibular deviation to the affected side and improvement of the masticatory function.