Abstract
We assessed the “impact on wellbeing” and “satisfaction” of patients who had a facial prosthesis (of the ear, nose, or orbit) fitted in The Netherlands Cancer Institute. Patients had either an adhesive-retained or an implant-retained facial prosthesis between 1951 and 2011. We did a cross-sectional survey of 104 patients, then gave a questionnaire to the final study group of 71 (68%), a year or more later. All were satisfied with their prostheses (visual analogue scale (VAS): mean (SD) 8.1(1.5). The implant-retained group were the most satisfied (p = 0.022), and the adhesive-retained group felt more self-conscious (p = 0.013). Three-quarters of all patients said that the prosthesis was not painful and there were no problems with the way it functioned. A well-designed facial prosthesis has obvious benefits, but there were no appreciable differences between the two groups. Each patient must make a careful decision about which type of prosthesis to choose, taking into account the quality of their remaining tissue, the site of the defect, and their general health.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 394-399 |
Journal | British Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery |
Volume | 54 |
Issue number | 4 |
Early online date | 21 Oct 2015 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2016 |