Objectives: Maxillary obturator wearers suffer from improper retention and function of maxillary obturator. The aim of the study is to evaluate the conventional design of interim obturator utilizing multiple wrought wore clasps versus extended hinged-buccal-flange utilizes soft and dental tissue for retention.
Materials and Methods: fifteen participants with maxillary palatal defect were included in this crossover clinical study based on inclusion criteria. Each participant received conventional interim obturator with multiple wrought wire clasps (Design I); and was replaced with interim obturator retained by hinged-buccal flange extended form the sulcus full depth to the engage the labial and buccal undercuts of remaining teeth in the intact side. (Design II). The retention was evaluated at insertion (T1), after 30 days (T2) and after two months of insertion (T3). The oral function was evaluated by obturator functioning scale (OFS).
Result: At comparing the reported difficulties with obturator designs at different function, there was a significant difference for items 11, 13, 14, 15 (p =0.001, 0.09, <0.01 and 0.19 respectively). For retention evaluation, there was a significant reduction in retention with each group based on obturator design (p< 0.001). At comparing retention of both designs, there was significant increase of design II at the terminal of the study.
Conclusion: Within the limitation of the study, utilizing soft and dental undercuts by hinged-buccal flange design enhances retention, esthetic feedback and manipulation of the interim maxillary obturator comparing to the conventional multiple wrought wire clasps design.