Biomechanical validation of a modified genioplasty distractor.

PURPOSE: Genioplasty is a surgical procedure that is used to enhance the shape and appearance of the chin. It can be performed alone or in combination with other jaw-related surgeries either for medical or cosmetic purposes. Recently many studies have been reported for mandibular reconstruction with distraction osteogenesis. However, these distractors can cause some complications such as incorrect prolongation of hard tissues due to the lack of guiding section. The purpose of this study is to manufacture a novel genioplasty distractor and measure its biomechanical stability and reliability for different activation lengths in mandibular bone.

METHODS

The modified genioplasty distractor was manufactured from grade 2 and grade 5 (Ti6AI4V) titanium alpha + beta alloy which was biocompatible and adequately rigid for possible in situ application in the future and a sample holder was manufactured for compressive strength testing.

RESULTS

Test results showed that our modified genioplasty distractors withstood 300 N compression force for activation lengths from 0 to 11 mm. Recorded stress values were in the range of 0.110 MPa to 0.389 MPa.

CONCLUSION

The modified genioplasty distractor developed and tested here is a promising surgical tool that has the potential to reduce genioplasty related complications especially in demanding cases.