A nonconventional approach to prevent mouth dryness in a patient with a complex maxillofacial defect

Abstract

This report describes prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with dry mouth due to a complex maxillofacial defect. The patient had undergone 5 surgical operations because of repeated recurrence pleomorphic adenoma, which resulted in partial maxillectomy followed by total maxillectomy, and finally orbital resection. The patient was left with oral, nasal, and orbital communication. Rehabilitation with a silicone facial cover was planned because the patient’s chief complaint was mouth dryness during sleep, and air leakage through the defects was considered a cause of this dryness. Furthermore, the patient was reluctant to use a conventional prosthesis for the time being. A silicone facial cover was fabricated. The patient's speech and sleep quality were evaluated with and without the cover, and the patient’s oral dryness was found to improve with use of the cover. Use of a silicone facial cover instead of a conventional prosthesis gave a satisfactory result, and is one option for preventing mouth dryness in a patient with multiple facial defects. (Int J Maxillofac Prosthetics 2020;3:7-11)