An Observational Study on Impact of Interim Obturators in COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis

During the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, there was surge in reporting of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis cases. Government of India declared rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis as a notifiable disease. Managing this condition posed a new challenge to clinicians. Management includes therapeutic drugs and aggressive surgical debridement. Even though prosthetic rehabilitation with zygomatic implants is one of the most conservative and effective options, owing to unpredictability of disease prognosis and financial burden for patients, rehabilitation with interim obturators is beneficial for patients. Hence, the current study aimed to evaluate the impact of interim obturators on quality of life (QOL) of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis patients post-maxillectomies.

The study compromised 41 subjects who underwent maxillectomies for COVID-19-associated mucormycosis and prosthetically rehabilitated with interim obturator on the 5th postoperative day. Out of 41, four deaths were reported. The subjects were classified into six classes based on Armany's classification of post-surgical maxillectomy defects. They were followed up for a period of 6 months, and QOL was assessed using Obturator Functioning Scale.

Significant association between the type of maxillectomy and QOL was detected with a p-value of 0.002. Retention of the obturator has a highly significant association with QOL (p < 0.001). Stability, ability to eat and speech also demonstrated significant correlation with QOL showing p-value of 0.022, 0.04 and 0.001, respectively. This study revealed no significant association between QOL and various classes of Armany's classification of post-surgical maxillectomy defects.

This study demonstrated interim obturator significantly improved the quality of life (QOL) among the COVID-19-associated mucormycosis patients who underwent maxillectomies.