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| CATEGORY: ORIGINAL RESEARCH |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 20
| Issue : 5 | Page : 11 |
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Maxillofacial prosthetics practice: A survey on Indian prosthodontists
Kavitha Gupta
K.M. Shah Dental College & Hospital, Vadodara, India
| Date of Web Publication | 8-Jan-2021 |
Correspondence Address:
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0972-4052.306329
How to cite this article:
Gupta K. Maxillofacial prosthetics practice: A survey on Indian prosthodontists. J Indian Prosthodont Soc 2020;20, Suppl S1:11 |
How to cite this URL:
Gupta K. Maxillofacial prosthetics practice: A survey on Indian prosthodontists. J Indian Prosthodont Soc [serial online] 2020 [cited 2021 Jan 25];20, Suppl S1:11. Available from: https://www.j-ips.org/text.asp?2020/20/5/11/306329 |
Introduction: Maxillofacial prosthetics is a subspecialty of prosthodontics that deals with rehabilitation of patients with defects or disabilities caused by trauma, tumor, or congenital disorders. Not all defects can be satisfactorily repaired surgically, and MFP services are still necessary. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 172 Indian prosthodontists to find out their practice of maxillofacial prosthetics. The questionnaire consists of 14 questions adapted, modified and validated.
Methodology: A questionnaire survey was conducted on 172 Indian prosthodontists to find out their practice of maxillofacial prosthetics. The questionnaire consists of 14 questions adapted, modified and validated. Questionnaire was sent to participants on their Email addresses from Indian Prosthodontic Society. Data was analyzed using SPSS 17 software.
Result: More than 50 percent of prosthodontists are fabricating maxillofacial prosthesis from last 4 to 7 yrs. For more than 50 percent of people the top three reasons for pursuing an MFP career were service to mankind, improving patient's quality of life and personal satisfaction. Most of the patients were cancer patients. 77.8 percent says that they are not getting adequate payment for the services they did and most of the times payments were made by the patient himself. The major difficulties faced while practicing MFP is insufficient third party reimbursement, lack of awareness and non-comprehensive team approach. 95.8 percent believes that digital technology is advantageous but only 15.8 percent is using it, rest others says it is expensive and patient can't afford it. The most popular technology is CAD amongst them. Maximum number of obturators were made by most of the dentists followed by guidance appliance and ocular prosthesis. Tongue & genial prosthesis were made least in number.
Conclusion: Cancer is the primary cause for any defect. Prosthodontist are formally trained to restore these defects during their post-graduation but the number of patients they did were less, because of which most of them wants themselves to be trained furthers. So either students should be posted in some cancer hospital for a period of time or more number of fellowship programs and workshops should be conducted in India. Service to mankind is the most important factor in a decision to choose an MFP career. Most of the MFPs work at a private setting, probably because prosthesis does not come under insurance policy and so only elite people who can afford the cost of it are getting it done in private clinics / hospitals. Negligence of the surgeons and unawareness of the medical doctors as well as patients about maxillofacial prosthesis leads to late or non-referral of patients for the prosthesis. Financial constraints of the patient is not allowing the prosthodontist to use digital technology, so digital technology should be made cheaper. Maximum number of obturators were made by most of the dentists may be because only these patients find difficulty in eating rest all other patients are either not aware of it or they are not motivated to get it do.
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