Prosthodontic management of hemimandibulectomy patients to restore form and function - A case series

Surgical resection of mandible owing to benign, malignant neoplasm, osteoradionecrosis is common. The resection can be total or segmental depending on the lesion. Loss of mandibular continuity causes deviation of remaining mandibular segment towards the resected side and rotation inferiorly due to muscle pull and scar contracture affecting mastication and esthetics. Surgical reconstruction may not be always possible. Prosthetic rehabilitation plays a major role in these patients. This case series describes different types of guiding flange (GF) prosthesis with modifications for three hemimandibulectomy patients at different time interval after surgery. The article details GF prosthesis combined with physiotherapy to correct deviation of mandible thereby improving mastication, esthetics and speech and thus enhancing the quality of life.