[A rapid prototype fabrication method of dental splint based on 3D simulation and technology]

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Computer-Aided Design/Manufacturing (CAD/CAM)

Background:

• Conventional dental splint fabrication for orthognathic surgery relies on manual planning and model surgery, leading to suboptimal precision and efficiency.
• Existing methods present challenges in achieving accurate functional occlusion and aesthetic facial outcomes.
• The integration of computer-assisted techniques is a growing trend in surgical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel computer-generated dental splint fabrication method for orthognathic surgery.
• To enhance surgical precision and efficiency compared to traditional techniques.
• To improve both functional occlusion and aesthetic facial appearance post-surgery.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing three-dimensional (3D) model simulation for preoperative surgical planning and virtual modification.
• Employing Boolean operations between the dental splint blank and maxillofacial bone models to generate the splint design.
• Fabricating the computer-generated dental splint model using rapid prototyping technology for clinical application.

Main Results:

• The computer-generated dental splint method demonstrated improved surgical precision.
• Enhanced efficiency in the design and fabrication process was observed.
• The method allows for modifications to optimize functional occlusion and aesthetic facial results.

Conclusions:

• Computer-generated dental splints represent a significant advancement over conventional methods in orthognathic surgery.
• This novel approach effectively leverages 3D simulation and rapid prototyping to improve patient outcomes.
• The integration of CAD/CAM technologies offers a promising future for dental splint fabrication in reconstructive surgery.