Resumen

Objectives: To explain the possibilities of orofacial reconstruction in oncological patients by means of anatomical and functional reconstruction through the use of dental implants in microsurgical flaps and early prosthetic loading. Introduction: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of orofacial reconstruction and prosthetic rehabilitation in oncologic patients with intraoral defects reconstructed using microsurgical flaps and dental implants, comparing those who received early prosthetic loading and deferred prosthetic loading. Materials / method: A prospective clinical study was performed involving patients with a history of oral cavity cancer reconstructed with microsurgical flap and dental implants. The control group received delayed prosthetic loading, while the test group received early loading. All implants were clinically tested, ISQ value was measured and radiographic control was performed at 0, 6 and 12 months for measurement of crestal bone resorption. QLQ-C30, QLQ-H&N35 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were applied to assess esthetics-related quality of life. Results: Twenty-five patients were included to date. The main diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma (84.61%). The median global health status score was 79.27. The most prominent symptomatic item was dental problems (53.33), social eating problems (41.15) and oral openness (31.62). A total of 108 dental implants were included in the study. The mean initial ISQ values were 74.4 ± 8.4. More than 82% of the implants showed values higher than 70 ISQ and the esthetic results perceived by the patients were excellent (78%) and good (22%). Conclusion: Head and neck oncology patients can benefit from esthetic and functional rehabilitation using microsurgical flaps and implant rehabilitation with early loading.