Virtual occlusion in planning orthognathic surgical procedures

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Dental Technology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate preoperative planning is crucial for successful orthognathic surgery, with a primary goal of achieving optimal postoperative dental occlusion.
• While 3D image-based planning systems are increasingly used, effective tools for determining optimal occlusion in the 3D virtual environment remain limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel 3D virtual occlusion tool designed to calculate realistic interactions between upper and lower dentitions.
• To enable surgeons to easily achieve an optimal and physically possible occlusion during the preoperative planning phase of orthognathic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 3D virtual occlusion tool that simulates the interaction of dental arches.
• Validation of the tool using 11 patient data sets, comparing manually and virtually defined occlusions.

Main Results:

• The 3D virtual occlusion tool accurately calculates realistic dental arch interactions.
• Validation study showed minimal differences between manually and virtually determined occlusions.
• The system facilitates easy achievement of optimal and physically possible occlusions.

Conclusions:

• The presented 3D virtual occlusion tool is a valuable addition to orthognathic surgery planning systems.
• The tool's accuracy and ease of use support its integration into clinical practice for improved patient outcomes.