Improvement of Articulation Disorders in a Glossectomy Patient by Palatal Augmentation Prosthesis

Patient: A 57-year-old female patient visited our department after undergoing a right half glossectomy, pharynx and mandibular segmentectomy due to carcinoma and leukoplakia. At the first examination, she complained of articulation disorder of /k/ pronunciation. Palatograms with /ta/, /ki/, /ka/ were used to design a palatal augmentation prosthesis for this patient. Discussion: Application of the palatal augmentation prosthesis that was based on the /ki/ and /ka/ consonant palatograms satisfactorily restored the articulation function of the patient with glossectomy and mandibulectomy. Conclusion: In this glossectomy patient with difficulty in recovering articulation, the use of a palatal augmentation prosthesis fabricated utilizing palatograms improved both articulation and swallowing function, and showed a favorable prognosis.