3d oriented prosthetic rehabilitation of bilaterally congenital missing ears: a case report

Objectives: every individual possesses the inherent right to appear human. physical imperfections, especially those affecting the orofacial region, can have a detrimental impact on one’s quality of life in today’s image-conscious society. auricular abnormalities, ranging from minor malformations to complete microtia/anotia, can occur due to congenital or acquired factors. while significant progress has been made in the surgical treatment of oral and facial abnormalities, achieving complete correction through plastic surgery alone is often a compromise. consequently, there has been a recent increase in the demand for maxillofacial prosthetics to aid in the recovery of these patients. case presentation: a 26 year old male patient with complaints of microtia of the bilateral ear was referred from the department of plastic surgery for prosthetic rehabilitation. after a clinical examination, a bilateral removable auricular prosthesis made of room temperature vulcanizing (rtv) silicone elastomer and retained by extraoral adhesive and hair band was planned for the patient. after the rehabilitation, the patient was satisfied with the prosthetic outcome. by utilizing anatomical landmarks and a whipmix facebow, the bilateral auricular prosthesis was accurately oriented in three-dimensional (3d) alignment with the patient’s face.discussion: this case report presents a simple and cost-effective technique for the prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with congenital bilateral microtia. this approach can be considered for patients who are either unwilling or contraindicated for reconstruction or implant-retained prostheses.