Assessment of the accuracy of fabricating immediate postoperative obturator plates using 3D printing technology.
Dr. Anna Cybulska1, Dr. Anna Mydlak2, Dr. Marcin Szerszeń1, Dr. Karol Dominiak2, Dr. Jakub Zwoliński2, Asst. Prof. Dariusz Rolski1
1 Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland,
2 Department of Head and Neck Cancer, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland
Objectives
The aim is to evaluate the precision of digital design with the established methodology and the manufacturing of immediate postoperative plates by applying 3D printing technology in patients with planned resection of oral tissues due to cancer.
Materials and Methods
10 patients aged 27 to 81 years before the planned resection of jaw tissues were qualified for the study. Before the surgery, an intraoral scan was performed with a Trios 3 scanner. Then, based on the digital impression and computed tomography images, postoperative plates were designed in the Blue Sky Plan 4 and Meshmixer software. The obturator plates were printed on a 3D printer. The plates were immediately inserted into the surgical site following the resection. Two weeks after the procedure, corrections were made and the obturating part was relined, then the restoration was scanned in a laboratory scanner. The superimposition of the designed plates and the plates after adjustments allowed for measuring the volume of their obturating part and calculating the percentage accuracy of the prepared prosthetic restorations.
Results
The average accuracy before planned soft tissue resection was 92.56%, before partial maxillary resection 81.97%, and before total maxillary resection 93.76%.
Conclusions
Digital obturator plate planning is a promising method for immediate care provision for patients undergoing resection procedures. The average accuracy of performed plates was 89.43%.