Multidisciplinary Approach for Management of a Patient with Oral Mucosal Malignant Melanoma

Oral mucosal melanoma is rare and more aggressive than cutaneous melanoma. Hard palate and maxillary alveolar crest are most commonly involved. Multidisciplinary team approach is necessary for successful management of this tumor. The main treatment modality is surgical resection, which usually results in impaired mastication, deglutition, speech, oral competence and significant cosmetic deformity. Here, a rare case of oral mucosal melanoma of mandibular gingiva in a 44-year man is reported, who was treated by en-block mandibular resection followed by adjuvant therapy with high dose interferons (IFN) - alpha 2b. Following two weeks of healing period, prosthetic rehabilitation of the patient was done with an interim removable denture prosthesis, which effectively limited the unfavourable effects of surgery and helped him in resocialisation.