A Prosthodontic Management Alternative for Scleroderma Patients

Abstract

Hardening of the skin around the mouth causes the oral opening to become limited in scleroderma patients. A maximal oral opening that is smaller than the size of a complete denture can make prosthetic treatment challenging. This clinical report presents the prosthodontic management of a total edentulous patient with microstomia induced by scleroderma. Sectional mandibular and maxillary trays and a collapsed mandibular denture were fabricated for the total edentulous patient. With the use of lingual midline hinge, the collapsed denture was successfully and easily inserted and provided adequate function in the patient's mouth. The cast hinge design reduced the overall costs and simplified the laboratory technique. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.