Abstract
A 59-year-old female with mandibulectomy presented to the Maxillofacial Prosthetics Clinic in Tokyo Medical and Dental University （TMDU） Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry for functional and esthetic rehabilitation. Secondary to right mandibular oral squamous cell carcinoma, she had segmental resection of the right mandible, supraomohyoid neck dissection and reconstruction with a graft from the scapula. A resin-based dento-maxillary prosthesis was fabricated, fitted and adjusted at regular intervals. During the treatment period, the gum-chewing test, masticatory ability test and University of Washington Quality of Life questionnaire were used for assessment. The results showed some level of functional improvement. In addition, psychological changes were investigated using salivary cortisol levels as a stress marker. Salivary cortisol was measured twice, at 17 days after delivery of the prosthesis and two years later. Within the limitations of this study, the changes in salivary cortisol levels suggested a reduction in the patient's stress condition.
This case report showed that delivery of a dento-maxillary prosthesis was effective for functional improvement and provided useful data for assessing the stress of dento-maxillary prosthesis wearers after head and neck cancer surgery.
