[Patient-specific subperiosteal implant for the treatment of upper denture retention problems]

A 66-year-old man presented with a loose complete denture in the edentulous maxilla, 1 year after receiving treatment for mucormycosis. This fungal infection had caused progressive necrosis of the maxilla, eventually resulting in a partial maxillary resection. Due to the defect in the jawbone, the denture was unstable and the retention poor. To improve denture retention, a patient-specific subperiosteal implant was fabricated. Computed tomography was used to create a 3-dimensional design and the implant was manufactured from titanium using selective laser melting. The implant was fixed to the remaining jawbone with titanium screws under general anaesthetic. The final denture was placed after 6 weeks. Follow-up after 2 years showed that the subperiosteal implant and denture were functioning well, with a high level of patient satisfaction. This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of the latest generation of patient-specific subperiosteal implants for patients with defects in the jawbone resulting from pathology or severe physiological resorption of the alveolar bone.