title: The current state of facial prosthetics – A multicenter analysis.
abstract: Even though modern surgical techniques are dominating reconstructive facial procedures, the capability to use facial epitheses for reconstruction is still an important skill for the maxillofacial surgeon. We present an international multicenter analysis to clarify which techniques are used to fixate facial prostheses. We contacted all maxillofacial departments in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Norway which were registered with the German society for oral and maxillofacial surgery (DGMKG). These centers were asked via electronical mail to provide information on the type of epithesis fixation systems currently in use. The return rate from 58 departments was 43.1% (n = 25). Overall, implant fixation was the preferred fixation system (92%). Plates were the second most common fixation technique (32%). No centers reported the standard use of non-invasive fixation techniques for permanent epithesis fixation. The main retention systems in use were magnets (24/25), other retention systems are used much less often. The current preferred fixation technique for facial epitheses consists of implant-based, magnet-fixated epitheses. For nasal prostheses, a plate-based, magnet-fixated system is often used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Germany. Electronic address: thieleo@klilu.de.
authors.forename: Oliver C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Thiele
authors.affiliation: Brom Epithetik, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brom
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, City Hospital Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dunsche
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ehrenfeld
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Federspil
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Rostock University Medical Center, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frerich
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Plastic Facial Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hölzle
authors.affiliation: Fachklinik Hornheide, Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kreppel
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University of Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kübler
authors.affiliation: Department of Cranio- and Maxillofacial Surgery, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Norbert R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Kübler
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Plastic Maxillofacial Surgery, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunkel
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Luzerner Kantonsspital, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kuttenberger
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine "Carl Gustav Carus", Technische Universität Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University-GHS-Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mohr
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Marburg, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, Campus Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.affiliation: Department for Cranio-, Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery, Medical University Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rasse
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Rudolf H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Siegmar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reinert
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rothamel
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Maxillofacial and Plastic Facial Surgery, University Medical Centre Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sader
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, George-Augusta-University, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Henning
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schliephake
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schmelzeisen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Military Hospital of Ulm and Academic Hospital of the University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sieg
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Red Cross Hospital, Kassel, Germany.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Terheyden
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wiltfang
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, St Olavs University Hospital, Norwegian University for Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Christoph M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, Ludwigshafen Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mischkowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Craniomaxillofacial and Plastic Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Zöller
mesh_terms: D001860:Bone Plates; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005060:Europe; D005145:Face; D006801:Humans; D059346:Magnets; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D060489:Prosthesis Retention / Q000295:instrumentation*
keywords: Anaplastology; Facial epithesis; Facial prosthesis; Maxillofacial surgery; Plastic and reconstructive surgery