The Morphological Evaluation of Denture Space in Glossectomy Patients

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the morphology of denture space in mandibular edentulous glossectomy patients by using piezography. Mandibular edentulous glossectomy （n＝6） and non-glossectomy （n＝7） patients were enrolled. To record the denture space of these patients, the piezography technique was used. Piezographic records were scanned by cone beam computed tomography and the data were converted into stereolithography format. The following parameters were measured: 1） the discrepancy between the midpoint of the labio-lingual edge and the crest of the residual alveolar ridge along the occlusal plane, and 2） the left and right areas bounded by the lingual surface divided at the midline. The ratios between the areas of the larger and smaller halves were calculated. The Mann–Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis.
The glossectomy group showed significantly greater discrepancy between the labio-lingual and alveolar crest points and the lingual area ratios than the control group. These comparisons reveal that piezographic records differ morphologically between mandibular edentulous patients with and without glossectomy. As a clinical implication, the denture space must be considered at the stage of prosthesis fabrication in mandibular edentulous glossectomy patients.