Abstract
Obturator is a prosthetic device used to obliterate oronasal communication of the maxillectomy patients. Several studies described procedures in fabrication of a closed hollow obturator. Normally, a palatal and a cap parts were processed separately and ultimately attached together by the use of autopolymerizing or visible- light polymerizing acrylic resin. Not only those techniques need many processing steps before a delivery of obturators, but also the seepage of oral fluid into the hollow part via resin connecting area was observed after a period in service. Gas injection technique (GI) reported by Seki1, based on using a heat source from the inner mold surface to make the peripheral resin to polymerize first and acted as an outer wall for gas injection, was very interesting. Argon gas was injected while resin at the center of the bulb was still soft. The complete denture fabricated by this GI method showed a better tissue adaptability without a loss of bending strength. If the appropriated amount of gas injected into the obturator bulb part expand like a balloon inside the resin mass, it seems possible to fabricate a closed hollow obturator within one step. However, when the resin slurry is packed into the mold space, it seems difficult for the space- consuming gas to expand because all mold space are fully filled by the slurry, no more room for gas expansion. The objective of this study was to establish the proper procedure in fabrication of resin hollow structures in one step applying the GI concept.
By this method, it is possible to make a hollow object in one procedure.
