O uso de técnicas de prototipagem rápida na confecção de próteses bucomaxilofaciais: uma revisão da literatura científica

Abstract

Facial deformities can be due to congenital malformations, traumas and acquired pathologies. Bucomaxillofacial rehabilitation is a viable therapeutic option for these patients, and can be performed through the use of rapid prototyping techniques. The present work had as objective to review the existing scientific literature regarding the application of these techniques in face rehabilitations. For this, a bibliographic search was performed in the Pubmed database in November 2017, using a combination of the free terms "Rapid Prototyping" and "Facial Prostheses". Articles not written in the English language and others that were published more than ten years ago were excluded from the research. Despite the low level of scientific evidence, the use of rapid prototyping techniques has proved useful in reducing inconveniences of the conventional method of making prosthesis, offering advantages such as greater patient comfort and shorter therapy time. However, the high cost and difficult access to the new technologies are the main obstacles to the consolidation of the technique.