Precise and predictable mandibuloplasty of asymmetric prominent mandibular angle with aid of 3-dimension printed surgical stent: a case report

Mandibuloplasty is an increasingly popular procedure among East Asians, because they perceive a wide lower face as a sign of stubbornness and coarseness in personality. Especially for females, such a feature is viewed as masculine and undesirable. Mandibuloplasty is often performed intraorally rather than through an extraoral submandibular approach, to avoid facial nerve injury and visible scar formation. However, the intraoral approach provides limited field of view to a surgeon, thereby increasing the risks of inadequate reduction or asymmetric facial contour. The use of 3-dimension (3D) designed surgical guide serves to overcome the limitations of the intraoral approach and is an invaluable and dependable tool. With the advent of 3D printing technologies, surgical guides are designed preoperatively on computed tomography (CT) scans and they are printed for intraoperative applications, such as asymmetric prominent mandibular angles. The use of CT-designed 3D surgical guides allow for predictable surgery with unequivocally symmetric postoperative skeletal contour. This case report will discuss a successful case of mandibuloplasty utilizing the aforementioned technology.