Output details

Evaluation of direct and indirect additive manufacture of maxillofacial prostheses

Maxillofacial prosthetics is a specialised profession that seeks to restore facial deformity caused by trauma, disease and syndrome conditions using artificial materials. It has a history intertwined with developments in surgical techniques, but has been slow to adopt technological advances that are crucial to developing a future-proof, economically and technically viable service. This output reported on the most recent research work undertaken in a long-term and well established line of enquiry seeking to establish appropriate computer-aided design and manufacture methods for the production of maxillofacial prostheses. This paper was the 7th paper in a line of 8 publications in this series forming a significant contribution to a growing and substantial body of work in the area. The research work was carried out in a collaborative effort between the Medical Applications Group in the National Centre for Product Design & Development Research at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Morriston Hospital, Swansea and Loughborough University. This article reported on an analysis of additive manufacturing processes and materials and critically assessed their applicability to maxillofacial prosthetics. This involved an action research approach utilising actual patient cases used with permission to compare and contrast two alternative approaches that can exploit additive manufacturing technologies to enhance speed and efficiency of maxillofacial provision. Quantitative methods were used in the analysis of materials performance and qualitative methods were utilised to provide expert practitioner feedback on the performance of the prostheses developed. The research work included clinical input and direction to ensure the results were meaningful and relevant to future clinical practice. The paper concludes that the use of computer-aided methods of creation and production results in a prosthetic of higher aesthetic quality; however poor mechanical properties and unknown potential biological responses remain as barriers to application. Thus addressing these issues is a priority for future research.