Custom-made titanium mandibular reconstruction tray.

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

• Mandibular reconstruction after ablative surgery presents challenges with existing preformed or computer-assisted trays.
• Preformed trays struggle with precise facial contour, jaw relationship, and condylar positioning.
• Computer-assisted modeling systems are effective but prohibitively expensive.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a simple and cost-effective method for fabricating custom-made titanium bone grafting trays.
• To provide an alternative to expensive or imprecise reconstruction methods.
• To achieve excellent facial contour and functional outcomes in mandibular reconstruction.

Main Methods:

• Clinical measurements of the patient's mandible are taken.
• A mandibular replica is constructed using these measurements.
• The replica is modified to create an ideal shape for the edentulous segment, and the tray is fabricated via casting or swaging.

Main Results:

• Twenty-one custom-made titanium bone grafting trays were successfully fitted in patients.
• The method demonstrated encouraging results in achieving desired outcomes.
• The technique proved effective in addressing limitations of conventional methods.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers a simple and inexpensive approach to fabricating custom titanium bone grafting trays.
• This technique facilitates excellent facial contour and functional reconstruction after mandibulectomy.
• It provides a viable and cost-effective solution for complex reconstructive challenges.