Rehabilitation of the surgical defect secondary to mucormycosis

Abstract

Aim: To report a case of Mucormycosis of right maxilla due to uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus along with its surgical management and immediate Prosthetic rehabilitation. Background: Phycomycetes is the causative agent leading to the deadly fungal infection called Mucormycosis. Predisposing factors involve patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, immunosuppressive therapy, organ transplant. The survival rate of the patients depends upon how quickly the disease is diagnosed and treated. Case Description: This article presents a case report of a 54-year-old female patient reported with the complaint of pain on the right side of the face along with headache and difficulty in breathing. Patient was diabetic and not under medication. After routine investigations, patient was diagnosed for Mucormycosis. The treatment involved excision of the necrotic tissues present in the right maxilla. Patient was referred to Department of Prosthodontics before surgery. Following hemi-maxillectomy, closure of the defect was done to prevent regurgitation due to oro-antral communication using surgical obturator and inserted immediately following surgery. To reduce the weight, a hollow bulb surgical obturator was the prosthetic choice in this case report. Conclusion: Surgical obturator can be a treatment of choice for immediate closure of defect secondary to Mucormycosis.