A Simulator for Maxillofacial Surgery Integrating 3D Cephalometry and Orthodontia

OBJECTIVES This paper presents a new simulator for maxillofacial surgery that gathers the dental and maxillofacial analyses together into a single computer-assisted procedure. The idea is to first propose a repositioning of the maxilla via the introduction of 3D cephalometry applied to a 3D virtual model of the patient's skull. Orthodontic data are then integrated into this model, using optical measurements of plaster casts of the teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS The feasibility of the maxillofacial demonstrator was first evaluated on a dry skull. To simulate malformations (and thus simulate a "real" patient), the skull was modified and manually cut by the surgeon to generate a given maxillofacial malformation (with asymmetries in the sagittal, frontal, and axial planes). RESULTS The validation of our simulator consisted of evaluating its ability to propose a bone repositioning diagnosis that would restore the skull to its original configuration. An initial qualitative validation is provided in this paper, with a 1.5-mm error in the repositioning diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS These results mainly validate the concept of a maxillofacial numerical simulator that integrates 3D cephalometry and guarantees a correct dental occlusion.