TITLE:
Accuracy of Rapid Prototyping Biomodels Plotted by Three Dimensional Printing Technique: Ex Vivo Study
AUTHORS:
Lucio Costa Safira, Luana Costa Bastos, Valter Estevão Beal, Roberto Almeida de Azevedo, Carlos Eduardo Francischone, Viviane Almeida Sarmento
KEYWORDS:
Rapid Prototyping; Models; Computed Tomography; Mandible
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Computed Tomography,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
14,
2013
ABSTRACT: The rapid prototyping biomodels manufacturing is a recent technology with great importance in oral and maxillofacial surgery. It provides a better surgical planning, decrease of anesthesia time and great functional and esthetic results. The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the accuracy of rapid prototyping biomodels built by three-dimensional printing (3DP) technique, since this is one of the least expensive methods available. Linear measurements of standardized bone defects and anatomic distances were compared using a digital caliper of high precision in nine dry mandibles (gold standard) and their respective biomodels. The Bland-Altman test was used for statistical analysis (5% level of significance). The results showed strong concordance between the dry mandibles and their respective biomodels, with discrepancies smaller than 2 mmin most cases (97.4%). We can conclude that the biomodels built by 3DP technique can be used for surgical planning in Dentistry.