Evolution of oral cancer treatment in an andalusian population sample: Rehabilitation with prosthetic obturation and removable partial prosthesis

BACKGROUND: Radical surgical resection as a treatment modality for oral cancer often leads to an extensive deficit in both the maxillary and mandibular levels, where the use of a palatal obturator prosthesis (POP) or removable partial denture (RPP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment with POP and RPP in patients treated for oral cancer in the Unit of Prosthetic Rehabilitation of the University Hospital Virgen del Rocío in a period of 20 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study during the years 1991 and 2011 analyzing oral cancer type, characteristics, treatment and follow-up. The sample consisted of patients whose tumor had previously been removed and who had been referred to the Oncological Rehabilitation Unit of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Unit of the “Virgen del Rocío” University Hospital for rehabilitation. The inclusion criteria were patients whose underlying pathology was any type of neoplasia, which after its treatment had been referred to the aforementioned Oncological Prosthetic Rehabilitation unit. RESULTS: Of the 45 patients included in our study, 15 patients were rehabilitated with palatal obturator (33.3%) and 5 patients with removable partial denture (11.1%). The mean age of the sample of patients with POP was 57.3 ± 9.23, while the mean age of the sample of patients with RPP was 58 ± 13.5. The most common underlying pathology in patients with POP was squamous cell carcinoma (60%), whereas in patients with RPP it was 100%. The most frequent location found among POP patients was the upper jaw, while in the PRP patients there was no predominant location. The univariate and multivariate logistic regressions did not show any statistically significant association between the independent variables age, sex, smoking habit and alcoholic habit with the dependent variable type of rehabilitating prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our data, we can conclude that RPP is used in few cases of oncological rehabilitation. The POP has a greater use, as long as the defect in the bones of the facial middle third is limited. Key words:Head and neck cancer, reconstructive surgery, Palatal obturators, removable partial dentures.