• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 1999

Special attention should be directed toward the preservation of preoperative condylar position during orthognathic surgery because their positional change may leads to postoperative skeletal relapse as well as TM joint problem. Various condylar positioning devices, therefore, have been introduced and utilized in orthognathic surgery. Even though most of them provided us with improvement of surgical results, we also found some problems including limited indication, etc. For more accurately repositioning the maxilla and the mandible and its wide versatility, a newly designed maxilla and condylar positioning device based on the fixed part of cranium is introduced.

• Imaging Science in Dentistry
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.95-102
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the reproducibility of panoramic radiographs of dentulous and edentulous patients. Materials and Methods: The reproducibility of panoramic radiographs was evaluated using the panoramic radiographs acquired from 30 anterior dentulous patients by using a common biting positioning device (dentulous group) and 30 anterior edentulous patients by using chin-support devices to take a panoramic radiograph (edentulous group), respectively; these patients had undergone 3 or more panoramic radiographs. The widths and angles between the designated landmarks were measured on the panoramic radiographs, and the reproducibility was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the coefficient of variation. Results: In the dentulous and edentulous groups, the ICCs of the mandibular ramus and mandibular angle areas were higher than the condylar head and zygomatic areas. The mandibular ramus and angle areas showed statistically lower mean coefficients of variation than the condylar head and zygomatic areas in the dentulous group. The mandibular angle area showed a significantly lower mean coefficient of variation than the zygomatic area in the edentulous group. By comparing the two groups, each ICC of the edentulous group was lower than that of the dentulous group, and the mean coefficients of variation of the mandibular ramus area, zygomatic area, left condylar inclination, and ramus ratio between the right and the left in the edentulous group were significantly higher than those in the dentulous group. Conclusion: Biting positioning for dentulous patients provided better positioning reproducibility than chin-support positioning when performing panoramic radiography for edentulous patients.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.39
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• pp.16.1-16.6
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• 2017

Background: Mandibular reconstruction is performed after segmental mandibulectomy, and precise repositioning of the condylar head in the temporomandibular fossa is essential for maintaining preoperative occlusion. Methods: In cases without involvement of soft tissue around the mandibular bone, the autopolymer resin in a soft state is pressed against the lower border of the mandible and buccal and lingual sides of the 3D model on the excised side. After hardening, it is shaved with a carbide bar to make the proximal and distal parts parallel to the resected surface in order to determine the direction of mandibular resection. On the other hand, in cases that require resection of soft tissue around the mandible such as cases of a malignant tumor, right and left mandibular rami of the 3D model are connected with the autopolymer resin to keep the preoperative position between proximal and distal segments before surgical simulation. The device is made to fit the lower border of the anterior mandible and the posterior border of the mandibular ramus. The device has a U-shaped handle so that adaptation of the device will not interfere with the soft tissue to be removed and has holes to be fixed on the mandible with screws. Results: We successfully performed the planned accurate segmental mandibulectomy and the precise repositioning of the condylar head by the device. Conclusions: The present technique and device that we developed proved to be simple and useful for restoring the preoperative condylar head positioning in the temporomandibular fossa and the precise resection of the mandible.