Malaysian Regional Maxillofacial Prosthodontics Conference 2016

In August 2016, I had the amazing privilege of visiting Kuala Lumpur and Kota Buta in Malaysia to speak at a couple of maxillofacial prosthodontics conferences. It was great to meet so many colleagues alsolly enjoyed and also a hands-on workshop for the placement of co-axis and zygomatic implants. There were a varied group of  delegates from a number of neighbouring countries all looking for innovative solutions to the problems they were experiencing with their oncology patients. interested in high quality rehabilitation for head and neck cancer patients and to share our knowledge an
experiences together. I enjoyed meeting Prof Karl Lyons from New Zealand who was also a keynote speaker at the meeting and showed some fantastic cases of high quality maxillary obturator work using polished acrylic engaging significant maxillary defect undercuts.

As well as doing quite a few lectures, I was involved in an open case discussion section which I really enjoyed and where we had the chance to discuss different ways of managing complex head and neck cancer patients from our own perspectives and experiences.

The hands-on implant workshop which I led was well attended with many delegates from a number of neighbouring countries as well as Malaysia itself. There was great interest in the co-axis implant and also in the use and surgical placement of zygomatic and zygomatic oncology implants. We had a great time discussing and practicing the placement of these implants into models – some were better than others but all found the session of great value.

Following the conference in Kuala Lumpur, we flew to Kota Baru about one hours flight away to where my previous fellow Prof Adam Hussein lives and works. He is now the dean of the growing dental school in this region and has a continuing interest in maxillofacial prosthodontics and prosthetics. He has an active program already with some first rate colleagues who are already providing a great service for those unfortunate patients who have their eyeballs removed for a whole host of pathologies. Whilst in Kota Baru, I was asked to see a fairly mutilated gentleman who had survived the resection of a large mid-face tumour 8 years ago and was in desperate need of significant facial rehabilitation. I do hope that I will be able to return to KB in the future to help contribute to the further advancement at that particular school.

The trip was made all the more brilliant by having my friend and colleague Steve Snook (from Southern Implants) with me. My recent fellow Fazrina also helped us enormously and took us to see the sights (and to taste the food!) on several occasions. Having spent the last 2 years with me in Liverpool, Fazrina will be sorely missed by myself and the team and we wish her every success back in Malaysia.