A team working between Pune, India and Sydney, Australia have developed a method of creating auricular prosthetic ears remotely.
Through the use of advanced digital technologies, the team were able to harness expertise of the the two countries for the benefit of a patient in Sydney. It represents an exciting prospect that challenges the conventional ways of working. Current methods of producing facial prostheses rely on long in-person consultations between patient and prosthetist/anaplastologist/prosthodontist. However, the COVID pandemic has made this increasingly challenging. Therefore technology may play an increasingly important role in reducing patient contact whilst maintaining high quality prosthesis production.
The use of advanced digital technologies in prosthetics is of course not new. Using it in this way is currently rare, but likely to become increasingly common. Challenges in capturing anatomical detail, location of retention mechanisms (such as bone anchored implants), recreating colour accurately and producing in suitable materials are all technical challenges that research must overcome.
We welcome your thoughts on these innovations.