Development of Ankle-foot Type Pediatric Orthosis by using 3D Printing

Although 3D printing has benefits to produce orthoses, it is a technology that is not yet widespread within the Unified Health System (SUS). Considering aspects such as the high demand for the pediatric population, the delay in the delivery of orthoses in the public service, and the high cost of new technologies for this application, the aim of this study was to describe a method of making an ankle-foot orthosis using additive manufacturing. and to analyze its advantages and disadvantages, aiming at a possible implementation in clinical practice. This experimental descriptive study followed a development process that included the 3D printing of two experimental versions of an orthosis, made from a pediatric model. Preliminary results in relation to costs and production time indicated benefits, but also the need to improve the virtual modeling and printing process, which should be explored in greater depth by the authors.