Evaluation of the accuracy of computer-guided mandibular fracture reduction

Abstract

The aimof the current studywas to evaluate the accuracy of computer-guided mandibular fracture reduction.Atotal of 24 patients with fractured mandible were included in the current study. A preoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan was performed on all of the patients. Based on CBCT, three-dimensional reconstruction and virtual reduction of the mandibular fracture segments were done and a virtual bone borne surgical guide was designed and exported as Standard TessellationLanguage file.Aphysical guide was then fabricated using a three-dimensional printingmachine.Open reduction and internal fixation was done for all of the patients and the fracture segments were anatomically reduced with the aid of the custom-fabricated surgical guide. Postoperative CBCT was performed after 7 days and results of which were compared with the virtually reduced preoperative mandibular models. Comparison of values of lingula-sagittal plane, inferior border-sagittal plane, and anteroposterior measurements revealed no statistically significant differences between the virtual and the clinically reduced CBCT models. Based on the results of the current study, computer-based surgical guide aid in obtaining accurate anatomical reduction of the displaced mandibular fractured segments. Moreover, the computerbased surgical guides were found to be beneficial in reducing fractures of completely and partially edentulous mandibles.