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3D printing in oral and maxillofacial surgery: a nationwide survey among university and non-university hospitals and private practices in Germany

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Abstract

Objectives

Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) has undergone pioneering progress through the development of three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of 3D printing at OMFS university and non-university hospitals and private practices in Germany.

Materials and methods

For explorative assessment, a dynamic online questionnaire containing 10–22 questions about the current use of 3D printing and the reasons behind it was sent to OMFS university and non-university hospitals and private practices in Germany by the study group from the German Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (DGMKG).

Results

In total, 156 participants responded from university (23 [14.7%]) and non-university hospitals (19 [12.2%]) and private practices without (85 [50.5%]) and with 29 (18.6%) inpatient treatment facility. Highest applications of 3D printing were in implantology (57%), microvascular bone reconstructions (25.6%), and orthognathics (21.1%). Among the participants, 37.8% reportedly were not using 3D printing. Among the hospitals and private practices, 21.1% had their own 3D printer, and 2.5% shared it with other departments. The major reason for not having a 3D printer was poor cost efficiency (37.6%). Possessing a 3D printer was motivated by independence from external providers (91.3%) and rapid template production (82.6%). The preferred printing methods were stereolithography (69.4 %) and filament printing (44.4%).

Conclusions

OMFS 3D printing is established in Germany with a wide range of applications.

Clinical relevance

The prevalence of 3D printing in hospitals and private practices is moderate. This may be enhanced by future innovations including improved cost efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all participants of the survey, the board, the academy, the scientific working group (AKWi), the professional organization of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and all members and colleagues of the German Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (DGMKG). We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Professor and Dr. Max Heiland, the study administration, and the steering committee of the study administration of DGMKG for approving and supporting this study.

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Author notes

  1. Andreas Pabst and Elisabeth Goetze contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Federal Armed Forces Hospital, Rübenacherstr. 170, 56072, Koblenz, Germany

    Andreas Pabst

  2. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Erlangen, Glückstr. 11, 91054, Erlangen, Germany

    Elisabeth Goetze

  3. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Medical Center Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany

    Daniel G. E. Thiem

  4. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstr. 12, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Alexander K. Bartella

  5. Department of Oral, Cranio Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60528, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Lukas Seifert

  6. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany

    Fabian M. Beiglboeck

  7. MAM Research Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel, Gewerbestrasse 16, 4123, Allschwil, Switzerland

    Fabian M. Beiglboeck

  8. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Helios Hospital Schwerin, Wismarsche Str. 393-397, 19049, Schwerin, Germany

    Juliane Kröplin

  9. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Clinic Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 400, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Jürgen Hoffmann

  10. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany

    Alexander-N. Zeller

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  1. Andreas Pabst
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Correspondence to Andreas Pabst.

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Ethics approval

The study was conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the study administration and the steering committee of the study administration of DGMKG. This study contains data from a survey that exclusively included oral and maxillofacial surgeons in Germany. Participation in this study was voluntary. None of the patients was included in the study. This article does not contain any studies on animals performed by any of the authors.

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Pabst, A., Goetze, E., Thiem, D.G.E. et al. 3D printing in oral and maxillofacial surgery: a nationwide survey among university and non-university hospitals and private practices in Germany. Clin Oral Invest 26, 911–919 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-021-04073-6

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