[Evaluation of epithesis by others].

The present study aims at recognizing how maxillofacial prostheses prepared by us for out patients are evaluated by persons in contact with them. Questionnaire was sent to 158 persons (125 fifth year students of The Nippon Dental University, School of Dentistry at Niigata, 17 dental hygienists and nurses and 12 hospital clerical employees). The following results were obtained: 1) Upon seeing a maxillofacial defective patient momentarily, 91.8% of the answers regarded his inserted maxillofacial prostheses as agreeable. 2) Upon being opposite to such a patient without conversation for a comparatively long time, 18.3 and 80.4% of the answers regarded his covering the defective part with gauze and his inserted maxillofacial prostheses, respectively as agreeable. 3) Upon conversing with such a patient, 86.1 and 9.5% of the answers regarded his inserted maxillofacial prostheses and his covering the defective part with gauze, respectively as agreeable. 4) In the case of close relatives of such a patient, 67.7, 20.3 and 5.7% regarded his inserted maxillofacial prostheses, his covering the defective part with gauze and his leaving the defective part as it is, respectively, as agreeable. 5) With respect to the facial aesthetics of the case presented as one of reference, 42.7, 15.9 and 13.3% pointed out mandibular deviation, ocular prostheses and condition of contact of the maxillofacial prostheses with the skin, respectively, to be unnatural.