A preliminary report of a case using an intra-oral distraction device.

A case is reported where the callus in a mandibular osteotomy site underwent distraction by means of an intra-oral device. The procedure was undertaken in a 9-year-old patient diagnosed with hemifacial microsomia type I. Using rapid prototyping from a radiographic scan of the facial skeleton an acrylic model was made upon which the intra-oral appliance was designed. The appliance produced an elongation of 11 mm which succeeded in correcting the skeletal asymmetry of the mandibular symphysis. The patient has been followed up for 7 months and the correction appears stable.