Maxillofacial Prosthodontics is concerned with the rehabilitation of patients with congenital or acquired defects in the mouth or face. Congenital defects usually relate to cleft lip and palate. Acquired defects usually are due to cancer of the mouth or face and due to neurological defects such as stroke.
The prosthesis fabricated tends to fill up these defects. They are typically in the mouth and may include prosthesis such as Obturators, Speech bulbs, Palatal lifts, Palatal augmentation device to name a few; however this branch also includes facial prosthesis like eye, ear, nose, facial, and other body parts like fingers, hands etc.
Maxillofacial prosthodontists are highly skilled prosthodontist who have advanced training in complex oral rehabilitation. They carry these treatments in a multi-disciplinary team usually consisting of maxillofacial surgeons, ENT surgeons, Plastic surgeons, neurosurgeons, speech and language pathologists and Clinical Oncologists. The overarching principle is to improve the quality of life of patients.
