ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER PROSTHODONTIC AND SURGICAL REHABILITATION OF MAXILLOFACIAL DEFECTS: A REVIEW OF PROM INSTRUMENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35220/2523-420X/2026.3.2Keywords:
free flap, content validity, medical law, obturator, prosthodontic rehabilitation, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), forensic dentistry, forensic traumatology, maxillofacial defectAbstract
Synthesis of evidence on validated Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) applied to patients with acquired and congenital maxillofacial defects after complex surgical and prosthetic rehabilitation, and determination of the limits of their applicability in this population. Materials and methods. A narrative review was conducted using publications identified in PubMed/ MEDLINE, on the Wiley, Elsevier, Springer Nature, MDPI, Frontiers, and BMC platforms, and through cross-checking citations in Google Scholar. The search was completed on 27 July 2026. The main publication period was 2020–2026; six earlier sources from 2000, 2010, 2016, 2017, and 2019 were included because of their classificatory, comparative, or methodological importance. Selection involved sequential screening of titles and abstracts, followed by full-text assessment against predefined criteria. No structured search was performed directly in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, or the Cochrane Library. The methodological quality of every source was not formally assessed with AMSTAR-2, RoB 2, or ROBINS-I; COSMIN-based judgments of content validity were taken from the systematic review by S. Azher et al. Scientific novelty. Evidence for acquired and congenital defects was integrated within one analytical framework that links clinical outcomes of reconstructive methods, psychometric properties of PROMs, and clinical, functional, psychological, and social determinants of quality of life. Findings from primary comparative studies were distinguished from conclusions of reviews and consensus documents, which allowed the limitations of the evidence base to be specified. Conclusions. Current evidence does not confirm the unconditional superiority of any rehabilitation method or questionnaire. Studies of dental implant rehabilitation have a high risk of bias, while EORTC QLQ-H&N35 only performs relatively better against COSMIN criteria than UW-QOL and OHIP-14. After rehabilitation, quality of life is shaped by the combined effects of functional recovery, perception of appearance, psychological adaptation, and social support.
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