MANAGEMENT OF ORO-NASAL FISTULA WITH PROVISIONAL OBTURATOR PROSTHESIS IN A PATIENT UNDERGOING FIXED ORTHODONTIC TREATMENT

*Dr. Shinde Pooja Raosaheb, Dr. Subin Eranhikkal, Dr. Sanjayagouda B. Patil and Dr. Tejaswini A.

ABSTRACT

Maxillary defects communicating nasal or antral cavities pose great difficulty. It hampers the esthetic, masticatory function and speech. Rehabilitation of the patients with maxillary defects is a challenging task because of anatomical complexity of maxilla. Rehabilitation involves surgical reconstruction or prosthodontic rehabilitation using obturator prosthesis. Obturator prosthesis restores the function by closing the defect and act as a barrier between nasal/ antral cavities. The present article describes the use of provisional obturator prosthesis for management of oronasal communication in a patient undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment.

Keywords: Oronasal communication, obturator prosthesis, maxillary defect, fixed orthodontics, rehabilitation.