Surgical Stents and Splints Used in Maxillofacial Prosthesis

The demand for maxillofacial prosthetic devices for the rehabilitation of patients with congenital or acquired (post-surgical, post-trauma) defects has intensified in recent years. As surgical and radiation treatment procedures become increasingly sophisticated, we can expect that more and more patients will be salvaged from cancer as well as accidents. Despite remarkable advances in surgical management of oral and facial defects, many such defects, especially those involving the eyes and ears, cannot be satisfactorily repaired by plastic surgery alone. Further, the increased lifespan of individuals and the growing demand for health care services place additional obligations on the dental profession to provide trained maxillofacial prosthodontists. Many recent developments in polymer research and in the fabrication of appliances have permitted the maxillofacial prosthodontist to restore large numbers of such people to society. As techniques improve and this aspect of prosthetic dentistry is expanded to become part of the curriculum of all dental schools, it is then that dentists will find an increased demand for services of this type.