title: Attachments used for implant-supported facial prostheses: a survey of United States, Canadian, and Swedish centers.
abstract: A survey was conducted of one Swedish, three Canadian, and 24 United States centers that provide implant-supported facial prosthetic treatment. All centers responded to the survey. A total of 357 patients began treatment. Of those, 338 completed treatment: 165 in Sweden, 131 in the United States, and 42 in Canada. The incidence of facial sites treated with implant-supported prostheses indicated that the auricular (72%) region was the most common site, followed by the orbital (20%), nasal (6%), and combination (2%). Clips were the predominant mechanism used to retain auricular prostheses. Orbital prostheses were fabricated with a wider variety and combination of attachments. Nasal and combination prostheses were too few to elicit any specific trends of attachment use. A variety of manufacturers' attachments were used for clip, magnet, and miscellaneous attachments to retain implant-supported facial prostheses. Results of this survey indicate a need for further investigation regarding the most efficacious attachment method to serve patients treated with implant-supported facial prostheses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, SM-52 School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle 98195, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rubenstein
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D004431:Ear, External; D006801:Humans; D008280:Magnetics; D008447:Maxillofacial Prosthesis; D009666:Nose; D009915:Orbit; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D013548:Sweden; D014481:United States