OBTURATORS

By: Dianne V. Mamaid DMD4A

OBTURATOR
An obturator (Latin: obturare, to stop up) is a disc or plate, natural or artificial, which closes an opening or defect of the maxilla as a result of a cleft palate or partial or total removal of the maxilla for a tumour mass

The GOALS of prosthetic rehabilitation for total and partial maxillectomy patients include SEPARATION of oral and nasal cavities to allow adequate deglutition and articulation, possible SUPPORT of the orbital contents to prevent enophthalmos and diplopia, support of the soft tissue to restore the midfacial contour, and an acceptable aesthetic results

Indication for use of obturator

to act as a framework over which tissues may be shaped by the surgeon; to serve as a temporary prosthesis during the period of surgical correction; to restore a patient's cosmetic appearance rapidly for social contacts; when surgical primary closure is contra-indicated; when the patient's age contraindicates surgery; when the size and extent of the deformity contraindicates surgery; when the local avascular condition of the tissues contraindicates surgery; when the patient is susceptible to recurrence of the original lesion which produced the deformity

The obturator functions:

fulfills

many

for feeding purposes it may be used to keep the wound or defective area clean, and may enhance the healing of traumatic or postsurgical defects; it may help to reshape and reconstruct the palatal contour and/or soft palate it improves speech or, in some instances makes speech possible in the important area of esthetics, the obturator can be used to correct lip and cheek contour it can benefit the morale of patients with maxillarydefects when deglutition and mastication are impaired, it can be used to improve function

it reduces the flow of exudates into the mouth

the obturator may be used as a stent to hold dressings or packs post-surgically in maxillary resections. It reduces the possibility of post-operative haemorrhage, and maintains pressure either directly or indirectly on split-thickness skin grafts, thus causing close adaptation of the graft to the wound which prevents the formation of a haematoma and ultimate failure of the graft

The Surgical Obturator

It is a base plate type appliance which is constructed from the pre-operative impression cast and inserted at the time of resection of the maxilla in the operating room.

The advantages of surgical obturation are as follows:

The surgical obturator provides a matrix on which the surgical packing can be placed. The obturator maintains the packing in the proper relationship thus ensuring close adaptation of the skin graft to the raw surface of the cheek flap when grafting is used. The obturator reduces oral contamination of the wound during the immediate post-surgical period and may thus reduce the incidence of local infection. The obturator enables the patient to speak more effectively by reproducing normal palatal contours and by covering the defect. The obturator permits deglutition, thus the nasogastric tube may be removed at an earlier date. The obturator lessens the psychological impact of surgery by making the post-operative course easier to tolerate. The patient is reassured that rehabilitation has begun. The obturator may reduce the period of hospitalization. If desired, artifcial anterior teeth may be added for aesthetics, so that when the patient recovers from the operation, the teeth and facial appearance are psychologically comfortable. The mental wellbeing of the patient is boosted considerably.

There are several principles relative to the design of surgical obturators

The obturator should terminate short of the skin graft-mucosal junction. The obturator should be kept simple, lightweight and inexpensive. The obturator for dentate patients may be perforated at the interproximal extensions with a small dental bur to allow the obturator to be wired to the teeth at the time of surgery. Normal palatal contours should be reproduced to facilitate postoperative speech and deglutition. Posterior occlusion should not be established on the defect side until the surgical wound is well organized. In some patients, the existing complete or partial prosthesis may be adapted for use as an immediate surgical obturator. In edentulous patients, the existing prosthesis should be inspected carefully to ensure that it will adequately obturate the surgical defect.

Often it is necessary to extend the prosthesis with autopolymerizing acrylic resin to cover the margin of resection on the soft palate. After the prosthesis is adjusted, it is relined with an intermediate reline material. It is wired or pinned to the alveolar ridge or zygomatic arches and/or anterior nasal spine and sometimes circumzygomatic and frontal wiring is employed to support the affected side. Clear resin is suggested so that the extensions and possible pressure areas can be more easily visualized at surgery.

dentate patients, retention may be obtained by wiring the prostheses to existing teeth. Retention from conventional clasp retainers may not be sufficient. The surgical obturator must not be removed for 7-10 days post-surgically

The Temporary Obturator

The temporary obturator is constructed from the postsurgical impression cast which has a false palate and false ridge and generally has no teeth. The closed bulb extending into the defect area is hollow. The patient is usually seen every 2 weeks because of the rapid soft tissue changes that occur within the defect during organization and healing of the wound. The new lining material is placed or changed. It is best to remove all of the old interim lining material because of porosity, leading to bacterial contamination and precipitation of undesirable odors and mucosal irritations.

The Definitive Obturator

Approximately 6 months after surgery consideration may be given to the construction of a definitive obturator prostheses. It is constructed from the postsurgical maxillary cast. This obturator has a false palate, false ridge, teeth and closed bulb which is hollow. Often the temporary obturator will need to function comfortably for as long as 6 months. The timing will vary depending on the size of the defect, the progress of healing the prognosis for tumor control, the effectiveness of the present obturator, and the presence or absence of teeth. Changes associated with healing and remodeling will continue to occur in the border areas of the defect for at least 1 year. Dimensional changes are primarily related to the peripheral soft tissues rather than to bony support areas

To reduce and improve adhesion and retention, a hollow obturator bulb is required for cleft palate prostheses and for dentures following maxillectomies

General considerations concerning bulb design

A bulb is not necessary with a central palatal defect of small to average size where healthy ridges exist. It is not necessary in the surgical or immediate temporary obturator. It should be hollow to aid speech resonance, to reduce the weight on the unsupported side, possibly to provide facial aesthetics and to act as a foundation for a combination of extraoral prostheses in communication with the intraoral extension. It should not cause the eye to move during mastication It should be one piece, if possible, to provide better colour matching and maximal patient acceptance.

It should always be closed superiorly. There are advantages and disadvantages to both forms (open and closed) of obturators. If the obturator is left open, nasal secretions accumulate leading to odour and added weight. If secretions do tend to accumulate, a small diagonal opening may be made between the inferiorlateral floor of the obturator through to the cheek surface for drainage. The other disadvantages of an open type hollow obturator include difficulty in polishing and cleaning the internal surface, from saliva, mucous crusts, food accumulation (unhygienic, foul smelling), and the inability to obtain support from the superior aspect in the defect area.

It should not be so large as to interfere with insertion if the mouth opening is restricted

The advantages of a hollow bulb obturator

The weight of the obturator is reduced, making it more comfortable and efficient. The lightness of the obturator improves one of the fundamental problems of retention and increases physiological function so that teeth and supporting tissues are not stressed unnecessarily. The decrease, in pressure to the surrounding tissues aids in deglutition and encourages the regeneration of tissue. The light weight of the hollow bulb obturator reduces the selfconsciousness of wearing a denture. The lightness of the obturator does not cause excessive atrophy and physiological changes in muscle balance

Hollow glove technique

Indication
This technique is indicated where a large defect exists and where the retention of the prosthesis may well be a problem due to its size. This obturator is made in two parts: the elastic obturator portion can be placed into the defect utilising arty undercut present to aid with retention of the oral prosthesis- This type of appliance can also be used for smaller defects where the elastic nature of the material will aid in retention of the prosthesis.

Advantages

This technique allows for obturation of the majority of the defect because of the elastic nature of the material used-most commonly a resilient lining material. It therefore provides a better seal preventing nasal secretions into the oral cavity and air leakage from one compartment to the other.

Disadvantages

The technique does not provide as much soft tissue support to the cheek as a rigid obturator will. If the malar has been resected the final appearance may be compromised

A base plate is made in the laboratory and added to this is the elastic obturator which clips onto a rim of heat-cured acrylic or utilizes magnets to adhere to the prosthesis.

Hollow box obturator

A hollow box or hollow bulb made in heatcured acrylic; the acrylic filling the maxillary defect is left hollow.

Indication

To fill a maxillary defect and support the soft tissue walls of the region; this type of denture is preferable to other appliances.

Advantages

The use of such a technique reduces the weight of the maxillary prosthesis allowing considerably improved retention

Disadvantages
If the maxillary defect is large and involves the floor of the orbit, the size of a one-piece obturator, coupled with the trismus that is present in some resection patients, may make placement of such a prosthesis difficult. The flasking of such a large appliance can be difficult and the subsequent addition of the palatal polished surface requires an additional laboratory procedure.

END