Accurate Movement of Jaw Segment in Virtual 3D Orthognathic Surgery

Abstract

In traditional virtual 3D orthognathic surgery, after repositioning the maxillary segment to the desired position, surgeons usually roughly rotate or adjust the mandibular segment to obtain a relatively good relationship with maxillary dentition to calculate the virtual terminal occlusion splint. However, surgeons are not easy to avoid penetrability, overlap, or an overly large space existing between the maxillary and mandibular dentitions during this process. The present report offered a new method to obtain a suitable virtual terminal occlusal splint that could avoid penetrability, overlap, or an overly large space between the maxillary and mandibular dentitions, and simultaneously accurately moving the maxillary or mandibular segment to the desired position utilizing the planned terminal occlusion plaster models in virtual orthognathic surgery. For double jaw surgery, after aligning the planned plaster models to the 3D maxilla and mandible, we could simultaneously move the maxillary and mandibular segment as a whole that maintain the planned terminal occlusion to the desired position. This present method may enhance the accuracy of 3D virtual orthognathic surgery and save plenty of time spend on virtual surgery simulation, which also offers a useful educational method for training junior surgeons and students.