Use of computer-assisted surgery (CAS) and patient-specific plates (PSP) in orthognathic surgery has shown improved accuracy and efficiency when compared to traditional techniques. This study analyzed current global trends in planning and investigated the reasons for CAS and PSP use.

A survey of 29 multiple choice questions was distributed to AO Foundation craniomaxillofacial (CMF) email subscribers biweekly between July 14, 2021 and September 2, 2021. Questions focused on specifics of respondents’ pre-operative workup, methods of data collection, and the use of cutting guides and patient-specific plates. Objective clinical outcomes and subjective surgeon reasons for use were also investigated.

Of the 557 responses, 420 (75.4%) participant responses were eligible for analyses. Most (302/420, 71.9%) respondents used CAS when performing orthognathic surgery, though regional differences were observed. Almost all respondents in North America implemented CAS in their surgery plan (44/46, 95.7%), compared with only 47.4% (18/38) in the Middle East/North Africa. Surgeons with 10–15 years of experience were far more likely to incorporate CAS. Over half (175/301, 58.1%) of CAS users also used PSP, of which, 43% (68/158) did so for maxillary-only cases, 3.2% (5/158) used PSP for mandible-only surgeries, and 42.4% (67/158) used PSP for both. Surgeons’ primary reasons for using CAS and PSP were accuracy (200/253, 79.1%), efficiency (196/253, 77.5%), and ease of pre-operative planning (150/253, 59.3%). The majority (77.9%) of surgeons perceived that CAS was either equal to or faster than traditional surgery.

Our study demonstrates differences in use regionally as well as with surgeon-experience. Surgeons primarily use CAS and PSP in orthognathic surgery to increase accuracy and efficiency, minimize intraoperative deviations from the surgical plan, and reduce total surgical time.