CLEFT PALATE-CRANIOFACIAL JOURNAL, cilt.48, sa.3, ss.342-347, 2011 (SCI-Expanded)
This case study reports on the prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with an unrepaired bilateral cleft lip and palate using osseointegrated implants, extracoronal resilient attachments, a combination of metal-ceramic cement-retained fixed partial restorations, and removable prosthesis. Preoperative clinical examination of a 32-year-old woman with bilateral cleft lip and palate revealed a large oronasal communication, hyperplastic soft tissue surrounding the hard palate defect, and a severely resorbed alveolar ridge. A maxillary obturator prosthesis supported by implants and retained with an extracoronal resilient attachment was designed to cover the oronasal communication in the hard palate and fulfill the patient's functional and aesthetic requirements. The patient has been wearing the prosthesis for 1 year. Her speech quality has greatly improved, and her aesthetic and functional expectations have been met.