New protocols for the manufacture of surgical splints in surgical-orthodontic treatment

Abstract

The role of the orthodontist is important in the management of surgical-orthodontic treatment. It is particularly vital during the preoperative stage when the arches are prepared for surgery, but also in the manufacture of the surgical splints. Many tools are available to help forecast the surgical outcome and prepare the surgical splints. Some, although time-consuming and difficult to implement are still being used but are most often delegated to the prosthetics laboratory. Here, we present two innovations which provide the most precise surgical simulation achievable and which, most importantly, are the easiest to implement. The first involves the making of a set of articulator set-up plates. The second is computer-based and entails the creation of a user-friendly virtual surgical set-up.