The uses of BTX-A in maxillofacial surgery

Botulinum toxin type A has many uses in maxillofacial surgery. This article will cover its uses in the treatment of Frey’s syndrome, myofascial pain, masseteric muscle hypertrophy and sialorrhoea. Other uses relevant to maxillofacial practice but not covered in this...

Emergenza Sorrisi – Doctors for Smiling Children

History Our association was born in 2007, originally under the name SmileTrain Italy Onlus, with the aim of operating on children affected by cleft lip and palate in the developing world, offering them the possibility to smile and to have...

Cleft surgery: outreach not over-reach - You can’t save the world, but you might improve it a little

Cleft lip and palate surgery is a life changing event. In many regards the surgery itself is relatively straightforward without major physiological consequences and the opportunity of making an impact for little risk is highly attractive. Medical missions offer the...

When a patient asks for your insurance details…

Coming from a patient, the question “Do you have insurance?” is almost certain to put a medical practitioner on edge. Not being a common query, many do not have a ready answer and instead have to grapple with some questions...

Contemporary aesthetic management strategies for deficient jaw angles

Facial aesthetics in the lower facial third is strongly influenced by mandibular profile with the mandibular angle playing an important role. The youthful appearance of a well-defined jaw line and angle, which is regularly seen among leading movie actors, is...

Maxillo-facial and neck surgery in Iraq and Afghanistan

Over the past 150 years, military personnel wounded in action had a survival rate of approximately 80% [1]. During the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, those servicemen wounded in action have a 90.4% survival rate [2]. During the past...

Photoshopping the face: simulated outcomes of orthofacial surgery

Corrective facial surgeries are highly elective procedures. Outcomes depend largely on the nature of the surgery performed (requiring an in-depth knowledge of surgical techniques and anticipated soft tissue changes) and should be predictable in terms of risk and outcomes, in...

2nd Chance: reconstructive surgery for life reconstruction

Many populations throughout the developing world have no access to the specialist healthcare needed by patients who have suffered severe burns, war injuries or congenital disorders. The specialties of plastic and maxillofacial surgery can make a vital contribution and PMFA...

How developments in maxillofacial surgery have contributed to improved quality of life for patients

The patient perspective, functional outcomes and morbidity are key factors that influence ‘quality of life’ [1,2]. There are many examples of how developments in oral and maxillofacial surgery have improved the outcome and ‘quality of life’ for patients with head,...

The role of maxillomandibular advancement surgery in obstructive sleep apnoea

Facial surgery for the correction of acquired or developmental skeletal and occlusal abnormalities has been practised within the scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) for several decades. OMFS surgeons have an understanding of the influence of skeletal movements on...

The role of the maxillo-facial surgeon in the management of skull base malignancy

Whilst ablative surgery remains the principal treatment option for head and neck malignancy, the skull base is the last frontier. The complex anatomy, supreme functionality of the brain, and varied pathology provokes many a detailed discussion in the multidisciplinary team...

Facial aesthetics and orthognathic surgery

Most maxillofacial procedures have an aesthetic element. Reconstructive procedures and surgery to correct congenital abnormalities such as cleft lip have an obvious aesthetic impact. When making surgical incisions for access to the underlying facial skeleton consideration will be made to...