Today each one of us tends to interpret the concept of the “quality of life” as a sense of well-being, perceived on the basis of our own experiences and expectations in the social and cultural environment in which we live. The health of the stomatognathic system has a strong influence on a person’s quality of life; the loss of teeth is often viewed as a pronounced social, psychological and functional disability, to the extent that the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised this disability under the ICF classification (International Classification of Functioning, Disabilities and Health), since it is a serious handicap and difficult to conceal.
The importance of the physical appearance in western society is assuming a more and more decisive role in every age group; today even elderly people consider a pleasant appearance just as important as younger people. The media contribute to the creation of models of beauty that do not allow for signs of ageing. The loss of teeth causes important changes in the aesthetic appearance of a face due to the loss of support for the lips and a consequent change in expression; remember that the teeth and eyes are the points of the face where the interlocutor’s attention is most focussed during a conversation.
People who wear dentures are acutely aware of these aspects linked to their social life and are generally worried about their instability; consequently they may develop a tendency to shun interpersonal relations and develop depressive behaviour.
This report on Malò’s technique offers the best interpretation of the diagnostic, surgical and prosthetic phases of an upper case and a lower case (with some slight variations and customisations) through the eyes of our clinical experience based on the treatment, to date, of more than one hundred and twenty cases.