The present study reports on the surgical and prosthodontic rehabilitation of 46 patients, 31 male and 15 female, after resection of oral
tumors. The treatment was carried out from 2004 to 2007 at the Department of
Prosthodontics, University of Bern, with a follow-up time of 3 to 6 years. The average age at diagnosis was 54 years. 76% of all
tumors were
squamous cell carcinoma, followed by
adenocarcinoma. Resection of the
tumors including soft and/or hard tissues was performed in all patients. 80% of them additionally underwent
radiotherapy and 40%
chemotherapy. A full block resection of the mandible was perfomed in 23 patients, and in 10 patients, the
tumor resection resulted in an oronasal communication. 29 patients underwent grafting procedures, mostly consisting of a free fibula flap transplant. To enhance the prosthetic treatment outcome and improve the
prosthesis stability, a total of 114 implants were placed. However, 14 implants were not loaded because they failed during the healing period or the patient could not complete the final treatment with the
prostheses. The survival rate of the implants reached 84.2% after 4 to 5 years. Many patients were only partially dentate before the
tumors were detected, and further teeth had to be extracted in the course of the
tumor therapy. Altogether, 31 jaws became or remained edentulous. Implants provide stability and may facilitate the adaptation to the denture, but their survival rate was compromised. Mostly, patients were fitted with removable
prostheses with obturators in the maxilla and implant-supported
complete dentures with bars in the mandible. Although sequelae of
tumor resection are similar in many patients, the individual intermaxillary relations, facial morphology and functional capacity vary significantly. Thus, individual management is required for prosthetic rehabilitation.