A symposium entitled “New strategies for maxillectomy defects: collaboration between surgery and prosthetics” was held at the 28th Academic Conference of the Japanese Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics on June 3, 2011 in Toyama City. We hereby present a summary of the symposium and report the main points.
1. The speakers and participants reached a consensus regarding the following issues: 1） prosthetics （indications and limitations of obturators and application of dental implants）; and 2） surgical reconstruction （indications and limitations of cutaneous, myocutaneous and osseous free flaps, and combination with obturators and dental implants）.
2. One of the major concerns regarding surgical reconstruction was whether the procedure would postpone the detection of tumor recurrence and lower the survival rate. The two speakers argued that there was no difference between prosthetic and reconstructive groups in regards to tumor recurrence and survival rate and favored surgical reconstruction of aggressive maxillary defects rather than the use of maxillary obturators.
3. In the 2009 edition of the Guidelines for Maxillofacial Prosthetics, the following “Clinical Question” （CQ） was raised: “Is an obturator more effective than a reconstructive flap in patients with maxillectomy defects?” The statement explaining the degree of recommendation was in agreement with the speakers’ assessment.
4. Collaboration among prosthodontists, surgeons, and other medical professionals may be simultaneous or time-oriented. The Clinical Pass of medical and dental cooperation, a medical process chart, was suggested to be most efficient for time-oriented collaborations.
