Low-cost mandibular reconstruction workflow

Introduction The utility of CAD/CAM technology in the treatment of mandibular defects has been demonstrated, allowing effective analysis, diagnosis and treatment for bone defects, however the high cost and sometimes the difficult access to this technology limits its use. Materials and methods: observational descriptive cross-sectional study in which craniofacial bone defects were analyzed with emphasis at the mandibular level, with free 3D reconstruction software, determining characteristics of the population and bone defect. A management workflow is proposed and some cases analyzed are presented. Results 50 patients with craniofacial bone defects were collected over a one year period. Mandibular defects account for 44% of the total sample, the majority of cases involving more than one mandibular area; the most affected areas were the body and parasymphysis; the average bone defect size was 36mmx56 mm × 15 mm. The proposed low cost workflow allows multidisciplinary work with industrial design teams to ensure the best treatment for the patient. Conclusions It is possible to implement low-cost management of mandibular defects. The multidisciplinary work between reconstructive surgeons, industrial design and biomedical engineering is useful for the treatment of patients.