Hana Hubálková

Hana Hubalkova, MD, PhD

Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Hana Hubalkova, PhD graduated from the Faculty of General Medicine of Charles University in Prague in 1982 (MUDr.), majoring in Dentistry. She passed the first general certification in Dentistry in 1985, then specialized in Prosthetic Dentistry in 1991 and finally in Clinical Dentistry in 2012. She finished her doctoral studies in the field of Biomedicine in 2004 (PhD) and completed her habilitation in the field of Dentistry in 2007 (Associate Professor). She spent her professional life as a clinical physician at the Dental clinic of the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, where she is still working. Since 1998, she has been involved in the teaching of Dentistry and General medicine in the Czech and English parallel. She also passes on her broad clinical experience from treating complicated cases to young doctors as part of postgraduate education. She lectures at medical seminars, practical courses and international congresses in the Czech Republic and abroad. In her professional work, she deals with the prosthetic reconstruction of the dentition and extensive defects in the head and neck area with postoperative obturators and epitheses. She examines the properties of dental materials in clinical dentistry and their compatibility with modern examination methods.

H. Hubalkova is the Past President of the Czech Society of Prosthetic Dentistry, a member of the Scientific Council of the Czech Dental Chamber and Czech Medical Society J. E. Purkyně. She is the Past President (2014-2015) and an active member of the European Prosthodontic Association (EPA Trustees) and an organizer of two international EPA congresses in Prague. She is the author of over 200 publications in medical journals and monographs. Her CV envolves more than 430 lectures in the Czech Republic and 80 abroad. H. Hubalkova is included in the List of EPA recognized specialists in Prosthodontics (2010) and she received EPA Honorary Life Membership in 2022.

Rehabilitation Strategies for Aging Patients – from Natural Dentition to Implants

Aging of population presents unique challenges and opportunities in oral rehabilitation, spanning the preservation of natural dentition to the strategic use of implant-supported solutions. This lecture explores contemporary rehabilitation strategies tailored to older adults, emphasizing functional longevity, biological limitations, and patient-centered outcomes.

Key topics include age-related changes in oral tissues, caries and periodontal risk management, decision-making in maintaining compromised natural teeth versus transitioning to prosthetic or implant-based therapies, and the influence of individual oral hygiene, oral and systemic health and medications on treatment planning.

A series of clinical cases will discuss the possibilities of various options of dental reconstruction, from standard conditions in the oral cavity to special cases with oncological diagnoses, congenital defects, or conditions after injuries in maxillofacial area. The presented clinical cases demonstrate the optimal method of occlusion reconstruction with the aim of preserving natural teeth with a healthy periodontium, which, through the present proprioceptors stimulates selected brain structures, thereby helping to support cognitive functions and prevent dementia, especially in the elderly.

Protocols for fixed and removable prostheses, tooth-born and implant-born overdentures, implant placement in medically complex patients, and maintenance strategies to ensure long-term success are discussed.

The lecture highlights an interdisciplinary approach that balances biomechanics, biology, and quality of life, aiming to provide clinicians with practical frameworks for delivering predictable, ethical, and flexible oral rehabilitation for aging patients.