Comparing the use of conventional and three-dimensional printing (3DP) in mandibular reconstruction

Abstract

Background There are a number of clinical disorders that require mandibular reconstruction (MR). Novel three-dimensional (3D) printing technology enables reconstructions to be more accurate and beneficial to the patient. However, there is currently no evidence identifying which techniques are better suited for MR, based on the type of clinical disorder the patient has. In this study, we aim to compare 3D techniques with conventional techniques to identify how best to reconstruct the mandible based on the clinical cause that necessitates the reconstructive procedure: cancerous or benign tumours, clinical disorders, infection or disease and trauma or injury. Methods PubMed, Scopus, Embase and Medline were searched to identify relevant papers that outline the clinical differences between 3D and conventional techniques in MR. Data were evaluated to provide a clear outline of suitable techniques for surgery. Results 20 of 2749 papers met inclusion criteria. These papers were grouped based on the clinical causes that required MR into four categories: malignant or benign tumour resection; mandibular trauma/injury and other clinical disorders. Conclusions The majority of researchers favoured 3D techniques in MR. However, due to a lack of standardised reporting in these studies it was not possible to determine which specific techniques were better for which clinical presentations.

Efficiency of virtual surgical planning in management of maxillofacial trauma

“…In the present study, the actual OT after VSP was significantly lower than the expected time by traditional methods (p =0.008) which came in line with many previous studies [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] . The witnessed decrease in OT could be clarified by preoperative proper surgical planning of the exact PSI shape, size and site of osteotomies to be performed.…”

In‐house virtual surgical planning and guided mandibular reconstruction is less precise, but more economical and time‐efficient than commercial procedures

“…Twenty-nine consecutive OSCC patients with an indication for mandibular resection and reconstruction were included, which is a representative cohort for the complexity of this surgical procedure compared to others. 19 In a 3D deviation analysis of the VSP and postoperative mandibular reconstruction, we found a more accurate reconstruction result in the commercial planning group than in the in-house group. Graft segment length comparisons showed no significant differences from preoperative VSP to postoperative reconstruction results in either the in-house or commercial planning groups, as previously reported by others.…”

“…In the present study, we compared both surgical planning and implementation solutions (in‐house vs. commercial) in terms of postoperative reconstruction accuracy, functional aspects (bone union and wound healing disorders), and economic benefit. Twenty‐nine consecutive OSCC patients with an indication for mandibular resection and reconstruction were included, which is a representative cohort for the complexity of this surgical procedure compared to others 19 …”

A 3D Printed Anatomically Pre-Contoured Plate for the Treatment of Y-T Humeral Condylar Fractures: A Feline Cadaveric Study

“…Rapid prototyping, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, has become a helpful procedure in many medical and veterinary fields, and its advantages in fracture treatment have been highlighted [8,9,16]. 3D printing technology enables the rapid construction of accurate, complete, custom implants and aiming devices.…”