Patients with reconstruction of craniofacial or intraoral defects: Development of instruments to measure quality of life

Patients with reconstruction of craniofacial or intraoral defects experienc e a profound impact on their quality of life (QOL). This impact on QOL is i nfluenced by the patients' medical conditions and the treatment interventio ns. Instruments to measure general QOL have been available for many years. A major criticism of QOL instruments is that too often the questions are no t specific to the particular problems of a disease or condition. A search o f the literature regarding QOL measurement for patients with max illofacial implant-supported prostheses produced a short list of instruments, none of which were sufficiently developed or suited to the patients involved in re constructive treatment. This study was designed to develop pretreatment and posttreatment questionnaires for measuring QOL for patients with reconstru ction of a craniofacial defect and patients with reconstruction of loss of specific intraoral structures utilizing an implant-supported prosthesis (eg , severe resorption of the maxilla or mandible or both). The goal was to de velop brief, targeted instruments for this specific patient population. The produced instruments were sensitive and easy to administer and score, and no disruption of clinical care occurred with the administration of the ques tionnaires. The instruments were used with equal success both in face-to-fa ce interviews and via mail.