There are many reports about tongue movement and oral function. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of a tongue movement test for patients with mandibulectomy and/or glossectomy. The test could be performed without any specific measurement equipment, be compared the movements of the side that had undergone surgery to those of the intact side and be applied for patients missing anterior teeth because anterior teeth were not used as a reference marker.
According to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, fifteen patients with mandibulectomy and/or glossectomy were selected as subjects. The tongue movement test examines voluntary tongue movements of the tip of the tongue and has four lingual movements and is scored by five different evaluators. The ICC for each movement was more than 0.95. The reliability of the test was confirmed using statistical analysis.
Using the tongue movement test, it is possible to compare the movements of the operated side to those of the intact side, and to evaluate movements of the tongue.

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A patient with extensive mid-facial defects treated in a prosthodontic manner without surgical intervention is presented. The patient was a 61-year-old male, and had a large right-side mid-facial defect involving the nose, orbital contents, cheek, upper lip and the maxilla. The right side of the upper lip was sutured to the lower lip to allow only a small orifice of the mouth. Since the patient refused a treatment plan of an implant and prosthesis with surgical intervention, a non-invasive approach was selected as a basic treatment strategy. At the first stage of the treatment, maxillary and mandibular complete dentures were fabricated and subsequently adjusted. The maxillary denture was retained with the pressure of the muscles and the reconstructed upper lip. To control the flow of liquid, a dam was added to the buccal flange of the lower denture. After the patient had become used to the prostheses comfortably, a facial prosthesis was fabricated with silicone. Adhesive material was used to retain the facial prosthesis. To increase the retention, the area for the adhesive was extended over the forehead region. Although the prostheses improved the mastication and swallowing, speech production of bilabial consonants remains difficulty.

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The patient was a 56-year-old male. In July 2006, due to carcinoma of the left maxillary sinus（T4bN0M0）, the patient underwent extended maxillectomy including cheek and orbit, and received radiation therapy of 70 Gy. The range of the defect was H4S1D2T4 using the HS classification, and F123 by the FC classification. After the completion of radiation therapy, an impression was taken to produce a dento-maxillary prosthesis. Regarding the structure of the dento-maxillary prosthesis, the base of the denture was connected to the connection area with a magnet. Furthermore, a facial prosthesis was retained within the connection area of the dento-maxillary prosthesis using another magnet. Thus, the dento-maxillary denture and facial prosthesis consisted of 3 parts including the connection area, and each appliance was connected using magnets, so that the prosthesis could be easily applied and removed. Although indications of maxillofacial prosthetic appliances with magnets are limited, they could be appropriate options in selected cases.

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There are complex undercut areas in the cavities of maxillary defects as well as a weak and sensitive tissue. Therefore, if the impression material is pushed deep into the undercuts in order to take impressions of the maxillary defect, the material may remain in the cavity of the defect, or the tissue may be damaged. In the case of partial dentures with maxillary defects, it is necessary to take precise impressions of the abutment teeth, where safety is essential in the undercut areas in the cavities of maxillary defects.
In the present study, the aim was to take impressions for maxillofacial prostheses safely and accurately. We developed a novel impression method using a polyaddition silicone rubber impression material mixed with Vaseline. An examination of its physical properties showed, that this mixture of Vaseline with silicone impression material had the same degree of permanent strain and dimensional stability as polyaddition silicone rubber impression material alone. Also, the elastic deformation was of the same order as that of irreversible hydrocolloid impression material. Clinical application revealed, that the new impression material in the mouth was extremely easy to remove, the patients felt little pain, and the complex shapes in the cavities of maxillary defects were reproduced with good accuracy.

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