2009 Volume 32 Issue 1 Pages 6-13
The aim of this study conducted by the Medical Committee of the Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics was to research the present state of facial prosthetic treatment in Japan.
A questionnaire on the actual state of facial prosthetic treatment was sent to 150 institutions, of which 89 responded. Forty-four institutions had treated patients with facial prostheses, but 45 did not perform this treatment. In the past 5 years, there were 91 cases treated with facial prostheses in these 44 institutions. The restoration of 36 cases involved facial defects which included the orbital region, 25 involved facial defects without orbit, 10 involved the auricular region and 9 involved nasal defects. Only 25 institutions had cases with facial defects in the past few years, and the mean number of cases with facial defects in each institution was 1.8 cases per year.
The greatest problem of facial prosthetic treatments is the difficulty or inability of acquiring materials and adhesives for facial prostheses in Japan. The committee members would like the Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics to resolve the present situation including inaccessibility of materials and adhesives for facial prostheses and facial implants, and to take an active part in increasing public awareness in patients with maxillofacial defects and in the medical departments involved in treating malignant tumors of the head and neck.
