A Team Approach: Interdisciplinary Treatment of a Pediatric Maxillofacial Patient

Introduction: One important responsibility of prosthodontists in comprehensive patient care is communication with other healthcare professionals to provide the best possible outcomes for our mutual patients. While prosthodontists often work in concert with various other dental specialists, in a hospital clinic setting, it is not uncommon to collaborate with our medical colleagues as well. Each member of the team brings a unique skill set to the treatment with the hope of improving overall patient care and quality of life, especially when treating our maxillofacial prosthodontics patients.

Patient Presentation: A 10-year-old male patient was referred by Pediatric Otolaryngology and Speech-Language Pathology (Children’s Hospital at Montefiore) for evaluation of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI). Significant elements of medical history include: