Title
Evaluation of clear aligners as surgical splints in orthognathic surgery: A clinical study
Authors
Sree Ram Subba Reddy Gudimetla1,*, Rajshree Borah2, Zeeshan Mubashir3, Samir Mansuri4, Salman Pasha5, K. Durga Prasad6 & Rahul Tiwari7
Affiliation
1Department of Oral Maxillofacial surgery, Sree Mithra Dental and MaxFace Specialists, Tanuku andhra Pradesh, India; 2Department of Dentistry, Tinsukia Medical College and Hospital, Makum, Assam, India; 3Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Al Jouf Specialised Dental Center, Ministry of Health, Sakaka, Al Jouf Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Oral Maxillofacial surgery, Al Kuwait Hospital, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 5Department of Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, AME'S Dental college, Bijangera road, Raichur, Karnataka, India; 6Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, C.K.S. Theja Dental College, Renigunta Road, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, India; 7Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, RKDF Dental College and Research Centre, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India; *Corresponding author
Sree Ram Subba Reddy Gudimetla - E-mail: shreeramshree@gmail.com
Rajshree Borah - E-mail: rajshreeborah@gmail.com
Zeeshan Mubashir - E-mail: dr.zeeshanmubashir@gmail.com
Samir Mansuri - E-mail: samirmansuri202022@gmail.com
Salman Pacha - E-mail: drsalman031@gmail.com
K. Durga Prasad - E-mail: kdurgaprasad88@gmail.com
Rahul Tiwari - E-mail: drrahulvctiwari@gmail.com
Article Type
Research Article
Date
Received March 1, 2026; Revised March 31, 2026; Accepted March 31, 2026, Published March 31, 2026
Abstract
The digital orthodontic-surgical workflows are increasingly incorporating clear aligners. However, evidence supporting the use of aligner-based appliances as surgical splints for intraoperative use is insufficient. In this prospective study, patients who underwent bimaxillary orthodontic surgery were assigned to either surgical splints made of clear aligners (CASS) or traditional CAD/CAM printed occlusal surgical splints (CCS) as well as postoperative maxillary positioning accuracy was assessed. CASS showed a significant lower requirement to adjust intraoperatively and comparable maxillary positioning error as compared to CCS. The operational workflow metrics favor CASS without the loss of early occlusal precision. Clear aligners are able to be used as splints for surgery in certain orthognathic patients with the ability to predict intraoperative handling and accuracy in position.
Keywords
Clear aligner, orthognathic surgical procedure; surgical stabilizer; virtual surgical planning (VSP); maximum precision
Citation
Gudimetla et al. Bioinformation 22(3): 1850-1853 (2026)
Edited by
Vini Mehta
ISSN
0973-2063
Publisher
License
This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. This is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
