[Orthognathic surgery and stereolithographic models. A new technic of dental occlusion transfer]

Use of stereolithographic models in orthognathic surgery is limited by the difficult in considering the facial osteotomies and the dental occlusion at the same time. Different techniques allow the surgeon to perform the simulation using composite prototypes after including the dental casts on the models. These techniques require complex "stereotaxic" systems or a surgical approach before CT scanning in order to insert the reference screws. They cannot overcome the problem of mandibular movement during the CT session. Our technique is a simple way to include the dental casts in the stereolithographic model with high precision. This can easily be done in a maxillo-facial environment and does not require any further special knowledge other than that which can be aquired in a classical dental laboratory. The occlusion transfer is achieved with a silicon cast of the teeth and the bony structures of the sterolithographic model on which we include the plaster dental casts. The silicone cast of the dental occlusion can also be used to decrease the mandibular movement during CT scanning.