Prof. Dr. Katalyn Nagy

INTRA-AND EXTRA-ORAL REHABILITATION IN CASE OF TUMOR/TRAUMA PATIENTS AND CONGENITAL DEFECTS

Faculty of Dentistry, University of Szeged, Hungary Rehabilitation is a complex process of restoration of a previous state following a major change. This could be congenital deformity, or a secondary result from head and neck cancer , which often results in serious disabilities, aesthetic and functional disorders of the patients, including mastication, phonation, swallowing and breathing. The degree of disability will vary according to the size and location of the defect.

Reconstructive surgery alone will only produce satisfactory results in a very limited number of cases. Maxillofacial prosthetics can be used as an adjunct to, or a replacement for plastic/reconstructive surgery.

Often, however, reconstruction of the bony defect alone does not guarantee an adequate foundation for successful conventional prosthetic rehabilitation. Osseointegrated implants placed into the microvascularised grafted bone offer an opportunity for improved function and patient satisfaction.

Our case presentations are reporting our routinely applied postoperative prosthetic rehabilitation process, which appears to be helping compromised patients, enhancing quality of life following surgery.