Reconstructive strategies for post-oncological oral and maxillofacial defects: A systematic overview of novel techniques and outcomes

The difficulty of post-oncological oral and maxillofacial defects is attributed to their significant impact on functionality, aesthetics, and quality of life. Progress in reconstructive surgery over the last decade has provided new approaches to managing these complex defects. The focus of this systematic review is to assess the innovative techniques of reconstruction, including virtual surgical planning (VSP), 3D printing, tissue engineering, chimeric flaps, and piezoelectric osteotomy, in comparison to conventional reconstructive surgery techniques, such as microvascular free flaps and prosthetic rehabilitation. Analyzed peer-reviewed articles published in the period 2015 to 2025 by referring to the PRISMA guidelines, where we identified the articles in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases. The performance measures used are functional restoration (speech, swallowing, chewing), aesthetic outcome, rate of complications and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). New methods exhibit better accuracy, shorter surgical procedure times, and better functional results, notably in cases of VSP and osseointegrated implants. Nonetheless, issues such as affordability, availability, and long-term performance of the biomaterials remain. The review highlights the potential of emerging technologies to change how this is done radically, what has not been discovered so far, and how further research and study can be conducted to achieve an enhanced outcome in reconstructive strategies.