Three-dimensional printed final occlusal splint for orthognathic surgery: design and validation

Orthognathic surgery is indicated for the treatment of significant skeletal malocclusion and is normally prepared using conventional face bows combined with two-dimensional cephalometric analysis and manually made splints. With recent developments in oral imaging, more orthognathic surgeries are being planned using three-dimensional computer-aided design and manufacturing (3D CAD/CAM) software. The purpose of this study was to present a protocol for the design and 3D printing of final digital occlusal splints based on 3D planning of orthognathic surgery and to validate the accuracy of these splints. The 3D virtual planning was performed in PROPLAN software (Materialise). The required data were then exported into 3-matic software (Materialise) to design the splints, which were 3D printed in biocompatible material using an Objet Connex 350 printer (Stratasys). To validate the accuracy of the splints, the cases of 20 patients undergoing orthognathic surgery were analysed. The splints were assessed clinically and quantitatively by comparing the printed splints to the conventional analogue set-up (clinical standard) and recording the absolute distance errors of three landmarks. The mean absolute distance error was 0.4 mm (standard deviation 0.17 mm), which falls within clinically accepted error margins. The absolute distance error ranged from 0.12 to 0.88 mm.