Use of Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing to Produce Orthognathically Ideal Surgical Outcomes: A Paradigm Shift in Head and Neck Reconstruction

Abstract

Composite resection of the mandible or maxilla will often leave the affected patient with an orthognathically unsatisfactory outcome. With full-thickness resection of either jaw, but most commonly the mandible, the realignment of the free-floating mandibular segments can be malpositioned with an inappropriate condylar arrangement leading to malocclusion. Traditional techniques of reconstruction are often inexact, and poor planning or communication between the resecting and reconstructive teams can lead to suboptimal orthognathic reconstruction regardless of how well each individual operation was performed.