A new clinical approach in fabrication of closed hollow bulb obturator: A case report

Abstract

Obturators are the most common treatment modality compared to surgical reconstruction for Maxillectomy in oral cancer patients. The obturators frequently become bulky and need to be hollowed out properly in the defect area to decrease weight and make them comfortable for the patient. This case report describes the technique of using a hollow bulb obturator on an adult patient who had undergone a maxillectomy. An obturator was fabricated with the use of a self-cured acrylic resin shim filled with wax in the defect area during the packing procedure of the prosthesis, and the wax was eliminated after curing. It is a single step process for the closed-hollow bulb obturator fabrication as a single unit, with uniform wall thickness around the hollow space, ensuring the least possible weight of the hollow obturator. This technique attains the probable internal facet of the hollow space with a uniform wall thickness of the prosthesis.