Rehabilitation of a unilateral cleft palate with endosseous implants in an edentulous elderly patient

Abstract

The objective was to describe the use of a maxillary obturator supported by dental implants and ball abutments in an adult edentulous unilateral cleft patient. Adult edentulous cleft patients who have had no corrective surgeries or failed attempts at cleft repair in childhood suffer from oronasal communication resulting in hypernasal speech, dysphagia, and compromised masticatory ability. Tissue-supported obturator prostheses in such patients provide for compromised function due to instability and lack of retention. The treatment using fibromucosal-supported obturators is well established in the literature; few articles have also described osseointegrated implants supporting the prosthesis in adult cleft patients supported by bar attachments and magnets; however, reports of implant-supported maxillary obturators retained by ball/stud attachments are scarce. The implants provided retention and stability to the prosthesis, simplifying the laboratory procedure using ball abutments, improving swallowing, speech, and the patient's general quality of life. This article reports the rehabilitation of an adult cleft palate patient with a totally edentulous maxilla using an implant-retained prosthesis.