Retention in Maxillofacial Prosthodontics

Before dentistry attained its status as a profession, some surgeons as Ambroise Pare and Tetamore had recognized the limitations inherent in grafting tissue for repair of certain maxillofacial deficiencies and had argued the use of prostheses as an alternate method. From the time of the formation of the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics in 1952 until now, the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with cancer of the head and neck and the importance of maxillofacial prostheses has increased several times. But still there are many problems in every phase of construction, as well as in the retention of maxillofacial prostheses. In maxillofacial prosthetics there exists a broad variety of types and methods for gaining retention, stabilization, and immobilization as required. The problems of retention of maxillofacial prostheses must be solved by prosthodontists. Therefore, at the time a prosthesis is designed, full consideration must be given to the retention of the prosthesis on the face. This work is a comprehensive compilation of the various aspects and modalities available till date in the field of retention in maxillofacial prosthodontics.