Use of a two-piece Gunning splint as a mandibular guide appliance for a patient treated for ameloblastoma

Abstract

Prosthodontic restoration in edentulous patients who have undergone hemisection of the mandible is difficult because of the instability of the mandible after resection and the lack of teeth necessary for successful retention of a guidance appliance. Successful prosthodontic restoration was accomplished through the use of a two-piece Gunning splint both for intermaxillary fixation and as a guidance appliance in an edentulous patient who underwent a hemisection of the mandible subsequent to treatment for an ameloblastoma. Because mandibular guidance therapy is most successful in patients whose resection involves only bony structures with minimal loss of soft tissue and no radical neck dissection or radiation therapy, the patient treated for ameloblastoma is an ideal candidate for the use of a two-piece Gunning splint for intermaxillary fixation and mandibular guidance therapy.