RESEARCH ARTICLE t

year survival rate of head and neck cancer is 57 % [2]. Patients with oral cancer are commonly treated by a com-bination of radiotherapy and ablative surgery. After radical cancer surgery, the oral rehabilitation of a patient is a demanding procedure. Following radiation and surgical resection, most patients suffer from soft and hard tissue defects resulting in functional disabilities and esthetic deformity [3]. Dental rehabilitation using conventional ever, even implant treatment in oral cancer patients is challenging because the bone into which the dental im-plants are placed has often been within the field of irradi-ation, or is grafted. Implant failure increases when they are placed in irradiated bone [3], in part because radio-therapy can result in progressive fibrosis of vessels and soft tissue, leading to diminished healing capacity. I