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INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION BETWEEN PROSTHODONTISTS AND MAXILLOFACIAL SURGEONS: IMPACT ON COMPLEX REHABILITATION

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Submitted: 2026-01-07; Published: 2026-12-29
CC BY-NC 4.0 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

Background:Complex craniofacial rehabilitation requires close coordination between surgical and
prosthodontic teams, as successful outcomes depend on prosthetically driven reconstruction and careful
interdisciplinary planning. Such collaboration not only streamlines treatment protocols but also improves both
functional and esthetic results while enhancing overall patient satisfaction and quality of life. The objective of
this study was to evaluate the functional and esthetic outcomes of interdisciplinary treatment approaches and to
assess patient-reported quality of life and satisfaction.
Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted at a private dental clinic involving 40 patients aged 19–68
years with maxillofacial defects due to trauma (45%), tumor resection (35%), or congenital anomalies (20%).
All patients underwent interdisciplinary planning, staged reconstruction, and definitive prosthodontic
rehabilitation. Outcomes assessed included masticatory efficiency, speech clarity, occlusal stability, facial
symmetry, patient satisfaction, and complications.
Results: Mean masticatory efficiency improved from 48.2% to 81.6% (p < 0.001), and speech intelligibility
increased from 3.1 to 4.5 (p < 0.001). Occlusal stability was achieved in 92.5% of patients, and facial symmetry
was restored in 85%. Patient satisfaction scores improved from 4.2 to 8.7 (p < 0.001), and oral health–related
quality of life scores decreased from 32.4 to 12.1 (p < 0.001). Complications occurred in 6 patients (15%) and
were successfully managed.
Conclusion: Interdisciplinary collaboration significantly enhances functional, esthetic, and psychosocial
outcomes and should be adopted as the standard for complex maxillofacial rehabilitation.

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