Surgical treatment of oral cancer may lead to significant disability, including facial deformity, loss of hard and soft tissue, and impaired function of speech, swallowing, and mastication. Bone resection because of surgical treatment of a large mandibular tumor can cause long-term defects. Rehabilitation with a removable prosthesis can be difficult or impossible due to the distorted postsurgical anatomy, especially for edentulous patients, for whom provision of a removable prosthesis is almost impossible. Dental implants are useful to improve the stability and support of a prosthesis, and dental implants have recently gained an important role in the rehabilitation of patients with oral cancer by facilitating the provision of a stable prosthesis. Two major implant prosthesis designs are available: fixed implant-supported prostheses and implant-supported overdentures. Several factors affect the choice between fixed and removable implant prostheses, such as the interforaminal space, interjaw relationship, oral hygiene, cost, and patient preference. Zani et al. reported that both fixed implant-supported prostheses and implant-supported overdentures were perceived to be equally satisfactory by mandibular edentulous patients and that the condition of the prostheses did not influence individual satisfaction in terms of rehabilitation. In this clinical case, an implant-supported overdenture that was delivered to rehabilitate the edentulous mandibular region following marginal mandibulectomy for treatment of mandibular gingival carcinoma was replaced by an implant-fixed prosthesis. Different treatment pathways should be prepared during the treatment planning stage.

The purpose of this paper is to present a case report of dental implant placement in a 17-year-old female patient after marginal mandibulectomy for treatment of mandibular gingival carcinoma, subsequent prosthodontic treatment, and an almost 22-year follow-up after dental implant placement.