Rehabilitation of Oncology Patients with Hard Palate Defects Part 2: Principles of Obturator Design

Dent Update. 2015 Jun;42(5):428-30, 433-4. doi: 10.12968/denu.2015.42.5.428.

Abstract

The first part of this series on the conventional rehabilitation of oncology patients with hard palate defects discussed the dental challenges posed by oncology patients and the surgical/restorative planning interface for conventional dental rehabilitation. This article will describe Aramany's classification of hard palate defects, Brown's classification of palatal defects and focus on the basic principles of obturator design which need to be appreciated when prosthetically rehabilitating a patient with a hard palate defect. CPD/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: A good understanding of basic removable prosthodontic theory relating to denture design, dental materials science and head and neck anatomy is a prerequisite when designing an obturator for a patient.

MeSH terms

  • Dental Clasps
  • Dental Materials / chemistry
  • Dental Prosthesis Design*
  • Dental Prosthesis Retention
  • Humans
  • Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / rehabilitation
  • Palatal Neoplasms / rehabilitation*
  • Palatal Neoplasms / surgery
  • Palatal Obturators*
  • Palate, Hard / pathology*
  • Patient Care Planning
  • Surface Properties

Substances

  • Dental Materials