OBTURATOR-ASSISTED FUNCTIONAL ENHANCEMENT: NON-SURGICAL SUCCESS IN PEDIATRIC POSTERIOR CLEFT PALATE MANAGEMENT- CASE SERIES

Large posterior cleft palate defects in pediatric patients pose significant challenges in speech, deglutition, and nasal regurgitation. Although definitive management is primarily surgical, non-surgical prosthetic approaches can serve as effective interim solutions when functional improvement is achievable, allowing surgery to be deferred when appropriate. In this case series, two pediatric patients aged 10 years and 8.5 years with cleft lip and palate are presented, both rehabilitated using palatal obturator prostheses. The first case involved a 10-year-old boy with a large posterior palatal cleft fistula and a previously managed anterior palatal tongue flap, who was rehabilitated using an interim acrylic obturator incorporating a tongue-flap retention feature. The second case involved an 8.5-year-old boy with a persistent posterior palatal fistula, managed with a conventional interim palatal obturator. In both cases, prosthetic rehabilitation resulted in marked improvement in speech clarity, swallowing, and overall oral function, with a significant reduction in nasal regurgitation. These outcomes underscore that obturator prostheses can effectively re-establish oronasal separation and improve articulation and feeding when surgical closure is not immediately feasible, supporting their role as transitional functional therapy in complex posterior cleft palate defects.