Customized surgical protocols for guided bone regeneration using 3D printing technology: a retrospective clinical trial

3D printing is one of the most significant technological advancements of the modern era. Among the various surgical disciplines, this new technology has shown significant improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. The application of 3D printing has many benefits in training, preoperative planning and education.A retrospective study was conducted at the European University of Madrid (UEM). Patients were selected in this study using the following inclusion criteria: age over 18 years old, a preoperative cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), patients with moderate or severe vertical or horizontal defects, presence or absence of the tooth in the area to regenerate, no bone regeneration surgery before. Bone defects were measured: in the CBCT using White Fox Imaging, on the 3D printed model and then intraoperatively from the area to be regenerated. The average of the bone defects on the 3D measurements was statistically compared with the average of the bone defect measurements in the patient's mouth to evaluate the model reliability.The mean age of the patients was 53,07 years old, with a range from 45 to 63. Females were more affected than males, with a ratio of 12/13 (92%). The most frequent side affected was maxilla 10/13 (77%) and the most type of defect reported was horizontal 10/13 (77%). The means in width (x = 8,2923) and height (x = 6,9615) of the 3D model, were close and clinically acceptable if compared with the means obtained from the measurements in width (x = 7,9230) and height (x = 6,8076) of the patients' bone defects. None of the patients underwent further surgeries or needed intraoperative surgical corrections obtaining reliable results in terms of presurgical planning.It is possible to affirm that the use of 3D printed models can be a crucial complement when planning guided bone regeneration procedures, due to high reliability, and representing a turning point in many aspects of oral surgery.