Prosthodontic rehabilitation of a patient with multimodality therapy for the management of oral melanoma: A case report

Malignant melanoma of the oral cavity is a very rare condition, comprising approximately 0.2–8% of all the malignant melanomas. It is easy to diagnose these lesions clinically because they are pigmented; however, they are asymptomatic in the majority of cases and might only be detected after ulceration of the overlying epithelium or hemorrhage. Treatment of head and neck cancer involves surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of the these modalities. However, surgery is the first choice for oral cancers, which is supplemented with radiotherapy in advanced cases. In addition, radiotherapy might give rise to some complications, including oral mucositis, loss of taste, erythema, xerostomia, radiation-induced caries, trismus, glossitis, TMJ disorders, muscle fibrosis, and osteoradionecrosis The most important complications reported by patients in terms of QOL are masticatory, articulation and swallowing problems, as well as problems with appearance. Prosthodontic rehabilitation of these patients is difficult, due to the technical challenges of fabricating prosthetic appliances, repeated prosthetic adjustments or replacements, and management of the patients’ psychological problems. This paper summarizes the pre- and postsurgical prosthodontic steps in oral rehabilitation of patients undergoing maxillectomy.