Practical guidelines for fabricating mandibular guide flange prostheses: A new technique for measuring the flange angulation.

Abstract

When a mandibulectomy causes discontinuity, the patient will need a rehabilitative prosthesis to achieve a proper occlusal relationship. This article describes step-by-step guidelines for measuring the patient-specific mandibular guide flange angulation. In the presented technique, the flange angulation is determined by dividing the horizontal overlap of the maxillary posterior teeth plus the maxillary buccal clasp thickness by the vertical distance of the mandibular continuous clasp up to the maxillary buccal clasp. The mandibular guiding flange prosthesis must achieve an angulation that is appropriate for the particular circumstances of each patient to minimize the complications with mandibular deviation. The introduced method for measuring the patient-specific mandibular guide flange angulation can help prosthodontists to prepare the mandibular guiding flange prosthesis with higher accuracy and predictability.