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Paedriatic Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in children and teenagers

Paediatric maxillofacial surgery encompasses surgery of the entire facial structure, including both soft and hard tissue, in children and adolescents. The surgical team at the Maxillofacial Institute are specialised in performing maxillofacial surgery for infants, children, and adolescents, and can treat both congenital malformations and acquired problems.

The most common interventions in paediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery are the following:

  • Maxillofacial surgery of the lingual frenulum: children often experience problems with the lingual frenulum. A short frenulum is usually associated with difficulty in speaking properly and problems with phonation, the misalignment or movement of the teeth or their incorrect position in the dental arch. Sometimes the frenulum can be easily injured through an odd movement or by trauma, causing haemorrhage.
  • Facial trauma: this type of trauma is more frequent in children under the age of two and between the ages of 8 and 10. A child’s anatomical structure is different to an adult’s, and treatment therefore requires an expert team of maxillofacial surgeons.If a child is diagnosed with facial fractures, it is very likely that there are also other associated injuries. For this reason, multidisciplinary post-trauma care is very important. The surgical team at the Maxillofacial Institute are experts in repairing soft tissue and skin, bone remodelling, and in using grafts to reconstruct the normal facial structure of the paediatric patient.
  • Congenital malformations: harelip and cleft palate are the most common malformations in children and adolescents. Surgery is essential in order to restore the speech and swallowing functions, for a good facial appearance and the social adaptation of the child. There is an optimum age for surgically correcting each anatomical structure depending on its development, so the continuous monitoring of these patients is essential. For example, a harelip can be operated on at 3-6 months of age and a cleft palate after 9 months.
  • Reparative and reconstructive maxillofacial surgery: This kind of surgery encompasses a wide range of aesthetic procedures to improve appearance, covering everything from otoplasty and rhinoplasty to scar correction.
  • Paediatric oncology: tumours in the maxillofacial region of a child patient are usually benign but we always have to rule out the malignancy of the process and to ensure adequate treatment. If a malignant process is detected, a multidisciplinary approach is essential.

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