Prosthetic rehabilitation of a large maxillary defect due to nasopharyngeal tumor resection: A case report

Introduction: Nasopharyngeal tumors are malignant neoplasms located in the epithelial lining of the nasopharynx, and they often require aggressive treatment modalities including surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. Surgical resection of these tumors, especially when involving adjacent maxillary and palatal structures, frequently results in large maxillofacial defects. This case report presents the comprehensive prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with a large acquired maxillary defect following surgical resection of a nasopharyngeal tumor. Case Description: A 49 years old male patient with a large maxillary defect resulting from extensive surgical nasopharyngeal tumor resection applied to the clinic of Department of Prosthodontics. Following surgery, the patient had received postoperative radiotherapy and chemotheraphy. Prior to definitive prosthetic rehabilitation, endodontic and periodontal treatments of the remaining teeth were completed. Support was taken from the remaining teeth (16-15, 12-11-21- 22) to fabricate a precision attachment-retained obturator that provided partial separation between the oral and nasal cavities. A quadrilateral design was performed. For the mandibular partial edentulism, a precision attachment-retained, metal framework removable partial denture was designed. Results: The patient’s issues with speech and nutrition deficiency were resolved with the obturator prosthesis and the esthetic demands were fullfilled. Conclusion: Within the scope of this case, the use of an obturator provided functional and esthetic rehabilitation of a patient with a large maxillary defect following oncologic surgery.