Mobility of the obturator prosthesis in hemimaxillectomy edentulous patients

In edentulous patients with maxillary defects, it is difficult to obtain sufficient retention, support, and stability of the obturator prosthesis, in addition, its mobility during various functions is considered to be large. A thorough understanding of the mobility of the obturator prosthesis is important to achieve successful results in the patient's oral rehabilitation. In this study, the ranges of movement of the obturator prostheses in three hemimaxillectomy edentulous patients were compared during tapping, chewing (biscuit), and opening and clenching jaw movements by simultaneously conducting three-dimensional measurements of three points that were established on the central incisor and the right and left first molars of the obturator prosthesis with a jaw movement tracking device having six degrees of freedom. This study indicates that the range of movement of the obturator prosthesis varied extensively from individual to individual. The ranges of movement were larger than those of normal complete dentures and differed considerably from each other when categorized according to the three functions and three measuring points in the patients.