Model surgery with a passive robot arm for orthognathic surgery planning

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Orthodontics
• Robotic Surgery

Background:

• Accurate surgical planning is crucial for successful orthognathic surgery.
• Model surgery is a key step in pre-operative planning.
• Comparing manual and robotic techniques can optimize accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of manual model surgery (Eastman technique).
• To compare the accuracy of robot-assisted model surgery with manual techniques.
• To determine the role of robotic assistance in orthognathic surgery planning.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were divided into manual (Group A) and robot-assisted (Group B) model surgery groups.
• Maxillary casts were measured before and after model surgery.
• Results were compared to the original treatment plan across horizontal (x), vertical (y), and transverse (z) planes.

Main Results:

• Robot-assisted surgery showed significantly higher accuracy in the x-axis (P=.024) and y-axis (P=.01).
• No significant difference in accuracy was found in the z-axis (P=.776).
• Statistical analysis included Mann-Whitney U and independent sample t tests.

Conclusions:

• Robot-assisted model surgery offers superior accuracy in anteroposterior and vertical planes compared to manual methods.
• Robotic assistance plays a significant role in orthognathic surgery planning.
• Robotic arms can precisely determine biometrics for orthognathic surgical changes during model surgery.