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Updated: Oct 7, 2025
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Digital Hybrid Model Preparation for Virtual Planning of Reconstructive Dentoalveolar Surgical Procedures
Published on: August 5, 2021
1.9K
Physical Versus Digital Orthognathic Surgical Planning.
Amr A Ghanem1, Omar A Hamad2, Anas M Almukhtar3,4
1Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Head of Department, British University in Egypt (BUE).
The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
|January 9, 2022
Summary
Virtual surgical wafers offer comparable accuracy to conventional methods for orthognathic surgery. This study found no significant difference in accuracy between virtual and traditional Glasgow model surgery techniques.
Area of Science:
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Digital Dentistry
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Orthognathic surgery corrects dentofacial deformities.
- Virtual surgical planning and 3D printing offer new possibilities for occlusal wafer fabrication.
- The accuracy of virtual models compared to conventional methods needs evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the accuracy of virtually constructed and 3D-printed occlusal wafers.
- To compare the accuracy of a virtual model with the conventionally established Glasgow model surgery.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving seven patients undergoing bi-maxillary orthognathic surgery.
- Conventional model surgery using face-bow and semi-adjustable articulator.
- Virtual model surgery using Mimics and 3Matic software.
- Cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) to assess wafer accuracy.
Main Results:
- Mean deviation in the intermediate wafer group was 0.64 ± 0.33 mm.
- Mean deviation in the final wafer group was 0.53 ± 0.10 mm.
- No statistically significant difference in mean deviation between conventional and virtual techniques (P = 0.403).
Conclusions:
- Virtually constructed and 3D-printed surgical wafers achieve accuracy comparable to the conventional Glasgow model surgery.
- Digital workflow provides a viable alternative for occlusal wafer fabrication in orthognathic surgery.
