Fixed and Precision Attachments Prosthesis Treatment in a Patient With Congenital Cleft Lip and Palate: Case Reports

Objectives: Patients who have cleft and lip palate with unrestored maxilla display cosmetic disfigurement, compromised function, and frustration in social functions. Cleft lip and palate (CLP)is the most common craniofacial birth defect and its etiology has been the focus of many reports in the literature. The cause of CLP are malnutrition and irradiation during pregnancy, psychological stress, teratogenic agents, infectious agents (viruses) . Most clefts are likely caused by multiple genetic and nongenetic factors. Prosthetic reconstruction of the anterior maxilla is important for these patients. The aim of this report is present the treatment of a patient with congenital lip and palate by using fixed and precision attachments prosthesis .
Methods: A 45 years old female patient with unilateral cleft lip-palate has applied Selcuk University Faculty of Dentistry Department of Prosthodontics for prosthetic rehabilitation . the patient indicated that she had an operation 12 years ago. In intraoral examination it was observed that maxilla including hard palate was resected and nasal cavity is in a relationship with oral cavity. The patient had swallowing, speech, nutritional and esthetic problems. A treatment with precision attachment and fixed prosthesis for maxilla was planned.
Results: After the delivery of the prosthesis the patient was evaluated on the 7th and 21 th days. The improvement of speech and function was observed and patient satisfaction was evaluated. Acceptable and esthetic results was obtained by this treatment.
Conclusions: A proper intraoral examination is very important for the prosthetic rehabilitation. Correctly designed fixed prosthesis helps to restore function, phonetic and esthetic appearance of patients who operated for cleft lip and palate in the best way.