Quick and effective custom tray for a

feeding obturator
Haeigin Tom Varghese, BDS, MDSa and Suja Mathew, BDS,
MDSb
Pushpagiri College of Dental Sciences, Thiruvalla, Kerala, India
Clefts of the lip and palate are the
most common congenital craniofacial
malformations in children.1 Sucking
is impaired in infants born with clefts
due to lack of negative pressure.2 Excess air intake during feeding, requiring additional burping, chocking, and
nasal regurgitation of food are other
complications associated with clefts.3
A feeding obturator improves feeding
and thereby contributing to weight
gain and a thriving state of health, a
prerequisite for surgical repair of the
defects.1 The severity of the clefts varies so much that stock trays are not always adequate for making the impres-

sion, and a custom tray is required.

This article describes a simple and effective technique for fabricating a custom tray for the infant patient.

PROCEDURE
1. Cut a sheet of modeling wax
(Hindustan Dental Products, Hyderabad, India) to a shape that
roughly approximates the patients
maxillary arch, soften it in a warm
water bath and adapt to the arch
with finger pressure.
2. Chill the wax immediately in a
cold water bath.

1 Wax tray invested in quick setting

plaster.

3. Invest the wax tray in quick

setting plaster (Dentico; Neelkanth
Healthcare Pvt Ltd, Rajasthan, India).
After wax elimination, apply separating medium (Acralyn-H; Asian Acrylates, Mumbai, India) and pack the
mold with autopolymerizing acrylic
resin (Rapid Repair; Dentsply Intl,
Milford, Del) and polymerize (Fig. 1).
4. Retrieve the tray, trim the excess
acrylic resin and polish the borders.
Evaluate the tray intraorally for necessary modifications. Incorporate a
handle, if desired (Fig. 2).
5. Make the definitive impression
with an elastomeric impression ma-

2 Acrylic resin custom tray.

Senior Lecturer, Department of Prosthodontics.

Reader, Department of Prosthodontics.

(J Prosthet Dent 2013;110:234-235)

The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry

Varghese and Mathew

235

September 2013
terial (Aquasil Monophase; Dentsply
Intl) and fabricate the definitive prosthesis (Figs. 3, 4).

REFERENCES
1. Osuji OO. Preparation of feeding obturators for infants with cleft lip and palate. J
Clin Pediatr Dent 1995;19:211-4.
2. Jones JE, Henderson L, Avery DR. Use of
a feeding obturator for infants with severe
cleft lip and palate. Spec Care Dentist
1982;2:116-20.
3. Savion I, Huband ML. A feeding obturator
for a preterm baby with Pierre Robin sequence. J Prosthet Dent 2005;93:197-200.

3 Definitive impression.

Corresponding author:
Dr Haeigin Tom Varghese
Pushpagiri College of Dental Sciences
Medicity, Thiruvala, Kerala, 689107
INDIA
Fax: +914692645282
E-mail: drhaeigin@gmail.com
Copyright 2013 by the Editorial Council for
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.

4 Completed feeding obturator.

Correction
The article entitled, Push-out bond strengths of different dental cements used to cement glass fiber posts,
by Jefferson Ricardo Pereira, DDS, MSc, PhD, Acccio Lins do Valle DDS, PhD, Janaina Salomon Ghizoni, DDS, MSc,
PhD, Fbio Csar Lorenzoni, DDS, MSc, Marcelo Barbosa Ramos, DDS, MSc, and Marcus Vincius dos Reis S, DDS,
MSc, PhD published in the August 2013 issue of the Journal, contained an error with respect to the spelling of the
fifth authors name. The authors name, printed as Marcelo Ramos Barbosa, should have appeared as
Marcelo Barbosa Ramos.

Varghese and Mathew