A Case of a Carcinoma of the Oral Floor with Post-Operative Dysphagia Improved with a Palatal Augmentation Prosthesis

Abstract

We report a case of a carcinoma of the oral floor with post-operative dysphagia which improved with a palatal augmentation prosthesis.
An 82-year-old man was hospitalized because of swelling and pain of the oral floor and dysarthria. He underwent an operation for removal of the tumor one month after the first visit.
Although he started water-drinking training on the seventh postoperative day, he had a swallowing disorder. He had a videofluoroscopic (VF) examination which showed that the swallowing disorder was caused by an inability to contact the palate with the tongue. Therefore we made a palatal augmentation prosthesis to improve his swallowing function. He received a videofluoroscopic (VF) examination again, which demonstrated an increase in the area and time of linguopalatal contact during swallowing. He became able to expectorate and to swallow pasty substances.