Impression Techniques for Microstomia Patients: No longer Cumbersome - A Review

Shantanu Mulay

doi:10.16966/2378-7090.109

Abstract

The reduction in maximal mouth opening (microstomia) is a condition that hinders conventional prosthetic treatment of edentulous patients. In particular, the fabrication of removable prosthesis is further complicated by tongue rigidity and the constant adjustment required to accommodate the changing periphery. To rehabilitate a patient with microstomia successfully, modifications in impression making are a necessity. This article reviews the various sectional tray designs and impression procedures for microstomia patients.

Highlights

Microstomia may be the sequelae of oro-facial burns, carcinoma, cleft lip, trauma, scleroderma, Plummer Vinson’s syndrome, genetic disorders, head and neck radiation, reflex spasm, surgically treated head and neck tumours, microinvasion of muscles of mastication, connective tissue disease, fibrosis of masticatory muscles, reconstructive lip surgeries [13]
It is very difficult to perform prosthetic treatment for patients with microstomia, especially when the mouth circumference length is less than 160 mm2 [8]
In cases, where microstomia is not manageable by surgeries or by use of dynamic opening devices [12,13], a modification of the standard impression procedures is often necessary as the overall bulk and height of impression trays makes the recording of impressions, exceptionally difficult, if not impossible, because the path of insertion and removal of impressions are compromised by lack of clearance [10,14,15]