Recommendations for post-rehabilitation care of maxillofacial prostheses

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to review the scientific literature to describe the main care and hygiene protocols for different types of maxillofacial prostheses (MFP). Methods: A bibliographic search on the PubMed / Medline database using the following keywords: [“maxillofacial prosthesis” OR “ocular prostheses” OR “palatal obturators”] AND [“Cleaning” OR “disinfection”] AND [“care”] AND [“color stability”] OR [“denture cleansers” OR “cleansing agents”]. Articles addressing materials, cleaning and disinfection protocols, and care related to MFP were included. The following exclusion criteria were applied: no adequate methodology, incompatibility with the area of interest, and unavailability for reading in full. Results: The papers were grouped into the following topics: facial prostheses, ocular prostheses, maxillofacial intraoral prostheses, and retention systems. Conclusion: Despite the MFP changes over time, its degradation decreases upon following the recommendations and post-adaptation care. The guidelines for cleaning and disinfection must be individualized to guarantee the longevity of the prosthesis and the patient health.