Application of 3D-printed surgical guides in pediatric oral surgery

Impacted and supernumerary teeth in pediatric patients may disturb normal eruption and require surgical or orthodontic intervention. This report presents two cases in which three-dimensional-printed surgical guides were used for pediatric oral surgical procedures. In the first case, a 10-year-old boy had an impacted supernumerary tooth associated with eruption disturbance of the mandibular right first premolar. A surgical guide was used to assist the lingual approach and initial bone removal, and spontaneous eruption of the premolar was observed after extraction. In the second case, a 13-year-old boy had a palatally impacted maxillary left canine close to the lateral incisor root. A surgical guide was used for open surgical exposure and button bonding, followed by orthodontic traction. These cases suggest that three-dimensional-printed surgical guides may be useful as an adjunctive tool for confirming the planned surgical approach in pediatric oral surgical procedures involving impacted teeth.