REHABILITATION OF GLOSSECTOMY PATIENT WITH HOLLOW TONGUE PROSTHESIS ATTACHED TO MANDIBULAR REMOVAL PARTIAL DENTURE

Aims and objectives: Glossectomyis an extremely debilitating surgical procedure that affects the neuromuscular coordination of the tongue. Glossectomy can be partial or total. Partial glossectomy is the removal of any part of the tongue, from a small part of the side or tip, an entire half of the tongue or even more. Total glossectomy creates a large oral cavity, loss of speech and pooling of saliva and liquid. Patient with total glossectomy requires glossal prosthesis. In edentulous patients, the glossal prosthesis can be attached to the mandibular teeth through a lower partial or complete denture Materials and methods: Treatment was done in two phases. The first phase comprised of fabrication of maxillary complete denture and mandibular partial denture. The second phase comprised of fabrication of hollow tongue prosthesis. Results and Conclusion: This case report outlines the rehabilitation of a total glossectomy patient with a hollow tongue prosthesis. The tongue prosthesis was a substitute for the natural tongue, though this prosthesis was rigid, not mobile as the natural tongue, it helped to improve deglution.