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Rehabilitation Using Hybrid Technique for Feeding Plate Fabrication in a 3-Month-Old Infant with Cleft Palate Defect
Manu Rathee1, Sujata Chahal, Prachi Jain
1Department of Prosthodontics, Post Graduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana, India.
Insights
A hybrid technique combining digital and conventional methods creates custom feeding plates for cleft palate patients. This approach improves jaw development, nutrition, and retention by optimizing adaptability to oral anatomy.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Pediatric Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Cleft palate causes feeding, speech, dental, and hearing issues.
- Feeding plates separate oral and nasal cavities, aiding jaw development and nutrition.
Observation:
- Digital fabrication allows for superior adaptability by utilizing anatomical undercuts.
- This enhances the retention of the feeding plate.
Findings:
- A hybrid technique integrates digital and conventional methods for feeding plate fabrication.
- This method effectively obturates the oral-nasal defect.
Implications:
- Improved patient outcomes through better feeding and development.
- Advancement in prosthetic device fabrication for congenital anomalies.
- Potential for wider adoption of digital-conventional hybrid techniques in restorative dentistry.
Abstract:
Cleft palate leads to difficulty in suckling, speech abnormalities, dental problems, hearing loss and middle ear infections. Feeding plate acts as a barrier between the oral and nasal cavities allowing the normal development of jaws and enhanced nutritional supply to the patient. Fabrication of the feeding plate using digital means provide better adaptability due to the engagement of all the possible favourable anatomic undercuts, thereby, providing better retention. This case report discusses the hybrid technique including both the digital and conventional means for fabrication of a feeding plate to obturate the defect between the oral and nasal cavity.
