Identification of the core characteristics of observer reactions to facial prosthetics on/in people following head cancer or traumatic injury: A systematic review.

Purpose: A person’s face reflects personality, identity and emotions, is often the most visible part of the body and is of critical importance during interaction. Loss of a facial part following cancer surgery or trauma can leave a person with a significantly altered appearance. Rehabilitation may include provision of a facial prosthesis and, to make a fully informed decision, patients must understand how others may react to prostheses. This systematic review aims to investigate how facial prosthetics impact observer reactions.
Materials and methods: A comprehensive Mesh search string was conducted for OVID MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CINAHL and ERIC, including any image/interaction with any person wearing a facial prosthetic, real or edited (excluding intraoral); a control group/internal controls must be stated. Narrative synthesis was planned due to the expected heterogeneity of outcome measures.
Results: The search identified 2663 titles, sixteen made it to full text review, all of which were excluded for not meeting the inclusion criteria.
Conclusions: This systematic review highlights a lack of information in this specific area of research that may be of great benefit to patients considering facial prostheses, clinicians treating these patients and support groups helping individuals cope with their changed appearance. (Int J Maxillofac Prosthetics 2025;8:23-29)