Evaluation of clear aligners as surgical splints in orthognathic surgery: A clinical study

The digital orthodontic-surgical workflows are increasingly incorporating clear aligners. However, evidence supporting the use of aligner-based appliances as surgical splints for intraoperative use is insufficient. In this prospective study, patients who underwent bimaxillary orthodontic surgery were assigned to either surgical splints made of clear aligners (CASS) or traditional CAD/CAM printed occlusal surgical splints (CCS) as well as postoperative maxillary positioning accuracy was assessed. CASS showed a significant lower requirement to adjust intraoperatively and comparable maxillary positioning error as compared to CCS. The operational workflow metrics favor CASS without the loss of early occlusal precision. Clear aligners are able to be used as splints for surgery in certain orthognathic patients with the ability to predict intraoperative handling and accuracy in position.