TITLE: EVALUATION OF THREE DIMENSIONAL PRINTING AND PREOPERATIVE ADAPTATION OF MINIPLATES IN TREATMENT OF MANDIBULAR FRACTURES (CLINICAL TRIAL)

BACKGROUND : The craniomaxillofacial trauma field is in continuous evolution and modernizations owing to the implementation of computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD-CAM), creation of a preoperative anatomically reduced three-dimensional (3D) bone model has the potential to drastically reduce operating room time and operating room costs. Aim: Was to evaluate the clinical performance and the state of postoperative occlusion of a pre-adapted miniplates using 3D printed for the treatment of mandibular fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 10 patients had recent mandibular fracture was treated using pre-adapted miniplates on 3D model. Fixation time was assessed intraoperatively. Clinical follow up was conducted after 24-hours, one, four, six, twelve and twenty-four weeks. In addition, a radiographic investigation was performed after twelve weeks to estimate the mean bone density across the fracture line. RESULTS: The study male to female ratio was 2.33:1 with mean age of 27.40 ± 5.38 years. The mean reported intraoperative fixation time was 9.43 ± 4.25 min. all patients reported a highly statistically significant improvement in the assessed clinical parameters. Across the radiographic follow up period, all of the patients reported a highly statistically significant increase in the mean bone density values (p<0.001*). CONCLUSION: the use of preoperatively adapted fixation plates in mandibular fracture management was associated with optimal occlusal and anatomical patient rehabilitation with decline in operating time while at the same time minimal increase in the processing time.