A simple customized surgical guide for orthodontic miniplates with tube

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This article reports the use of a customized surgical guide for simple and precise C-tube plate placement with minimized incision.

METHODS: Patients who were planning to have orthodontic miniplate treatment because of narrow interradicular space were recruited for this study. A combined silicone and stainless steel wire surgical guide for the C-tube was fabricated on the cast model. The taller wire of the positioning guide is used to accurately start the incision. The incision guide-wire position is verified by placing the miniplate on the coronal horizontal wire to confirm that the incision will coordinate with the screw holes. Because the miniplate is firmly held in place, there is no risk of the miniplate anchoring screws (diameter, 1.5 mm; length, 4 mm) sliding on the bone surface during placement with a manual hand driver.

RESULTS: The surgical guide was placed on the clinical site, and it allowed precise placement of the miniplate with minimum incision and preventing from slippage or path-of-insertion angulation errors that might interfere with accurate placement.

CONCLUSIONS: Customized surgical guide enables precise planning for miniplate positions in anatomically complex sites.