title: Implant-supported denture in a patient with Huntington's disease: interdisciplinary aspects.
abstract: Patients with extrapyramidal diseases often cannot maintain independent, efficient oral hygiene due to restricted motor ability of the upper extremities and lack of coordination. The hermetic closure of the mouth and lips, and the associated ability to keep liquid and toothpaste in the mouth, can become so weak that effective oral hygiene cannot be maintained. Over a period of many years, this illness leads to loss of teeth and the need for complete prosthodontic care. Dyskinesia and hyperkinesia of the tongue and the peri-oral musculature, combined with xerostomia and pooling of saliva, make it impossible for the patient to wear a conventional complete denture, despite an anatomically-adequate bearing area. In such cases, an implant-supported prosthesis is a better therapeutic measure, although some aspects of oral hygiene must initially be disregarded. Two ITI implants were inserted into the anterior mandibular region of a patient with Huntington's chorea, because a complete denture could not be retained on the alveolar ridge, despite adequate vestibule depth, due to tongue dyskinesia. A bar joint was used to anchor this mucosal-borne denture. This implant-supported complete denture led to a clear improvement in the patient's chewing function when observed over a period of a year.
authors.affiliation: University of Witten/Herdecke, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Department of Oral Surgery, Germany. claudias@uni-wh.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jackowski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrich
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Käppeler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zöllner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jöhren
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000766:Anesthesia, Dental; D003730:Dental Care for Persons with Disabilities; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003781:Denture Retention / Q000295:instrumentation; D003826:Denture, Complete, Lower; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011859:Radiography