An Innovative and Simple Approach to Functional Salivary Reservoir Fabrication

Saliva is a valuable oral fluid that is often taken for granted. Impaired salivary function is a major and a debilitating sequela of radiation treatment for patients with head and neck cancer. It can persist for years and thereby increases the risk of oral infection significantly. Moreover, it has a notably negative impact on the quality of life of such patients. To help overcome this problem, a number of techniques have been proposed for incorporating a reservoir containing salivary substitute into a removable prosthesis. A new design for a functional salivary reservoir is presented here. This design is simple to construct and easily maintained by the wearer. Details of its design, construction, and other potential advantages are presented.