抄録
Rapid progress of digital technologies in the field of measurement, recognition and manufacturing has led to innovations in medical care systems. In dentistry, digital technologies such as optical scanning, CAD/CAM, and digital imaging simulation have been widely used in the workflow of prosthodontics and dental implant treatment. The application of digital technology to maxillofacial reconstructive treatment is expected to bring great benefits and effectiveness.
Maxillofacial reconstructive treatment needs a multi-disciplinary approach with seamless collaboration among various specialists from medical and dental fields. Digital workflows and digital platforms are effective and essential tools for providing the patients’ information and fixed images of the treatments and their outcomes to all participating staff, in addition to morphological image visualization, prosthetic and surgical simulation, manufacturing of prostheses and surgical operation tools, and data accumulation. Tohoku University Hospital has already set up a team-approach system based on such a digital workflow and platform, which is accelerating close cooperation in maxillofacial reconstructive treatment.
Currently, the accuracy and precision of digital scanning and manufacturing of dental devices are not enough and need to be improved, but are acceptable for maxillofacial reconstruction.
Therefore, the introduction and deployment of a digital workflow and platform in maxillofacial reconstruction is an urgent and important task.
