BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: In a first of its kind implant procedure, doctors from Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, have successfully used a 3D printed titanium mandible clip on an oral cancer survivor, whose lower jaw was rendered disfigured after a corrective surgery seven years ago.

To bring the patient back to his normal life, the custom-made 3D printed titanium mandibular clip and the dental implant, made using CT scan & 3D imaging, was implanted in an eight hour surgery.

Head, neck and breast oncologist Dr Mandeep Malhotra and his team successfully planned and performed the intricate surgery which involved a very meticulous effort from identifying every nerve branch to placing each screw exactly as planned.

The patient, 30 -year-old Prabhjeet, a resident of Faridabad, underwent multiple surgeries and radiations to treat cancer of the head and neck. He had been living without half of his jaw bone for more than seven years. It affected his quality of life as he could not chew or bite his meals and was compelled to eat soft foods.

“As part of the treatment, we use 3D printing technology to develop a complete prosthetic jaw including the joint component using titanium which is the most bio-compatible and light metal. The part of the joint which shall form the jacket around the upper part of prosthetic jaw bone was formed by ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene,” explained Dr Malhotra.

He said, “A major problem encountered was the risk of injury to the facial nerve which is responsible for the facial expressions and movements. The nerve was carefully isolated and the joint component was fixed in place. The prosthetic titanium neo jaw was successfully inserted.”

After doing extensive review of medical journals, the hospital claimed that this kind procedure is first of its kind. It involves reconstructing a jaw bone in secondary settings, the jaw bone, along with the joint, is reconstructed and it is complete prosthetic jaw replacement without involving any loss of any other bone of patient.

Prabhjeet told DTMT, “Post physiotherapy, my jaw movements were optimized. Today, I can taste and chew any food of my choice. I would like to thank Dr Malhotra and his team for making the impossible, possible for me.”