Dental Implants in Reconstructed Jaws: Patients' Evaluation of Functional and Quality-of-Life Outcomes

Purpose: To evaluate the quality-of-life aspect of treatment outcome following functional jaw reconstruction and dental implants in the maxilla or mandible. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study used a questionnaire interview of 28 rehabilitated patients who received autogenous bone grafts from the ilium and endosseous implants (14 maxillary and 14 mandibular cases; 134 implants) for functional jaw reconstruction between 1988 and 1999. A questionnaire was developed to assess the quality-of-life outcome for those patients who had finished their rehabilitation at least 6 months prior to the interview. Responses to the questions were recorded by means of visual analog scales. Results: In general, patients gave positive comments on the restoration of their orofacial appearance and function (mastication and speech). The majority (85.7%) found no problem in various daily social activities, including dining in public. Discussion: The overall level of satisfaction with the treatment outcome and the degree of recommendation of the treatment to others were both favorable (mean scores 8.6 and 8.7 out of 10, respectively). Conclusion: Oral rehabilitation using functional jaw reconstruction can reach a satisfactory level of esthetics, function, and psychosocial well being of patients, thus improving their quality of life.