Dental Implant Supported Thumb Prosthesis with Friction Fit Retention System

ABSTRACT Introduction An amputated thumb causes aesthetic deficit and functional loss. Reconstruction can be surgical or prosthetic. A small residuum leaves little scope for rehabilitation with suction-retained prosthesis. Prosthetic management requires implant placement or distraction osteogenesis to be successful. This report presents the use of bone-anchored dental implants to support a prosthesis for rehabilitation of an amputated thumb. Case Description Satisfactory osseointegration of a dental implant placed in the amputated right pollex of a 24-year-old woman was achieved, after a two-stage surgical procedure. A healing abutment, which is normally placed transitionally after second-stage surgery, was modified to create a permanent friction fit coping. This was used to retain the silicone thumb. Discussion and Conclusions The study to some extent established off-the-label use of dental implants in rehabilitating amputated digits. Also, the friction fit retention system proved to be a cost- and armamentarium-effective method of retaining thumb prosthesis for cases with small residuum. Clinical Relevance This report describes a procedure for two-stage surgical placement of an osseointegrated dental implant in an amputated thumb with fabrication of prosthesis, which was effectively retained by a modified healing abutment.