Rehabilitation of a Craniofacial Defect using Extra-cranial Prosthesis

Maxillofacial prosthodontics is one of the most challenging branches in dentistry. Whether congenital or acquired, the treatment of defects may improve his/her quality of life. This paper is a case report of a patient who had undergone cranioplasty on right forehead region following a surgical excision of tumor. The patient reported to the department of prosthodontics after the healing of cranioplasty wound, and hence, was not willing for further surgical intervention to correct the defect. Thus, it was decided to manage the defect through extra-cranial prosthetic rehabilitation. Among the numerous maxillofacial prosthetic materials, room temperature vulcanizing silicone material was selected for fabrication of the final prosthesis. Pigmentation and shade matching were done for improved aesthetics. The prosthesis tremendously improved her quality of life in terms of appearance and confidence. The face is the forefront of aesthetics and the restoration of the lost tissue is of benefit to the patient because of the social acceptance in the family as well as public.