Redefining patient expectations for immediate and delayed free flap dental restoration
Time: 2:45 PM, February 23, 2024
Speaker: Drs. Andersen and Hammer
Synopsis:
Patients who require maxillofacial reconstruction necessitate a multidisciplinary team approach to enhance quality of life outcomes. Dental rehabilitation for these patients can be coordinated with the primary reconstructive surgery or after a period of initial healing. Expectations for immediate and delayed dental rehabilitation for patients with free flaps varies wildly from outright cynicism to absolute confidence. Even with successful surgical techniques and sound prosthodontic procedures, managing patient expectations and patient specific requirements remains challenging. This presentation will highlight the application of several digital technologies to optimize pre-surgical planning and dental rehabilitation pathways for patients who undergo immediate and delayed dental rehabilitation with free flaps. This presentation will also showcase the multiple benefits and risks with these procedures and common patient expectations based on clinical evidence and peer reviewed publications. The objective of this lecture is to enhance awareness to surgical and prosthodontic teams about current clinical capabilities, innovations, and patient outcomes to improve access to care for patients who undergo immediate or delayed dental rehabilitation after maxillofacial reconstruction.
Learning Objectives:
1) To understand the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach and continuity of care for the treatment of patients with maxillofacial benign and malignant diseases or trauma.
2) To enhance understanding of clinical expectations for surgical and prosthodontic teams who treat patients with immediate and delayed free flap dental restorations.
3) To understand challenges related to dental rehabilitation for patients with immediate and delayed free flaps.
4) To provide valuable clinical guidelines and techniques to enhance access to care for patients in need of maxillofacial reconstructive surgery.