DENTAL CONSERVATIVE MANAGEMENT IN ONCOLOGY PATIENT WITH OBTURATOR PROSTHESIS REHABILITATION

A 51-year-old black female patient surgically treated for a low-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of palatal minor salivary gland attended the clinic complaining of pain in an abutment tooth (right third molar) of a removable obturator prosthesis. Intraoral examination and vitality tests were performed, with diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis. The removal of the amalgam filling revealed a mesiodistal crack line with imprecise limits. A conservative approach was adopted to maintain this tooth, and the endodontic and restorative treatment were performed. After 1 year, the patient returned complaining of pain and presenting a complete longitudinal fracture of the previously treated tooth, leading to tooth extraction. The prosthesis was adjusted until the installation of a new one. The individual assessment of oncology patients is important for dental treatment plan, and more conservative decisions avoids negative consequences such as oro-nasal communication due to the lack of prosthesis by an early extraction.