Can electromagnetic-navigated maxillary positioning replace occlusional splints in orthognathic surgery? A clinical...

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Medical Navigation Technology
• Surgical Accuracy

Background:

• Intermaxillary splints in orthognathic surgery can be inaccurate.
• Real-time navigation systems may improve maxillary positioning precision.
• This study investigated splintless electromagnetic navigation for maxillary repositioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the accuracy of splintless electromagnetic navigation for maxillary repositioning after Le Fort I osteotomy.
• To compare the accuracy of electromagnetic navigation with traditional splint-based methods.

Main Methods:

• Five patients underwent maxillary repositioning guided by an electromagnetic navigation system after Le Fort I osteotomy.
• Accuracy was assessed using pre- and postoperative cone beam computed tomography.
• Results were compared to a control group using splint transposition.

Main Results:

• Electromagnetic navigation provided intuitive and simple guidance for maxillary repositioning.
• The average deviation from the planned position was 0.7 mm.
• Accuracy was comparable to the splint-based control group (0.5 mm deviation), with no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Splintless electromagnetic navigation demonstrates good accuracy for maxillary positioning in orthognathic surgery.
• This technique does not currently surpass the accuracy of the established splint-encoded standard.
• Further research is needed to explore the full potential of electromagnetic navigation in this surgical field.