Chinese 'jawless' girl given new face

A Chinese girl has become the first person born without an upper jaw bone to have full successful reconstructive surgery, according to reports from China.

Twenty-two year old Wang Na had the last in a four-year-long series operations in Xi'an, capital of the country's northern Shaanxi province, China Central Television reported.

Surgeons at the city's Fourth Military Medical University's dental hospital fitted Wang with an entirely new row of teeth in an operation that took just 40 minutes.

Soon after surgery she was able to break and chew a biscuit relatively easily, something almost inconceivable before the operation.

Wang Na was born with no upper jaw bone or teeth, making eating and speaking very difficult. Abandoned at birth, she was later adopted by her now parents, who spent years looking for a way to treat her rare condition.

Her mother Li Jingyun was overjoyed: "I think that Wang Na is going to be a beauty in the future. I am really happy. I should be happy and shouldn't cry," she said.

Wang must now undergo therapy to improve her speech, learn to chew properly and get used to other new functions of her face, the report said.