Uso de modelagem 3D e manufatura aditiva no auxílio à fabricação de próteses faciais de silicone

Abstract

Facial prostheses are assistive devices used in the rehabilitation of patients that have facial deformities for a number of reasons. The facial prosthesis manufacturing service is currently dominated by a handmade method, which consumes time and resources of healthcare professionals licensed to perform this function. In this paper, a virtual workflow of facial prostheses manufacturing is presented, which focuses on replacing some of the steps that the healthcare professionals have to perform manually with virtual actions, increasing the agility of the case resolution and saving resources of both the professional and the clinic or hospital where the service is performed. The method is described in detail and clinically validated, using as basis the implantation of prostheses in real cases, in a study submitted to a Research Ethics Committee. The results show the feasibility of facial rehabilitation via silicone prostheses using the virtual workflow, with positive feedback from an experienced healthcare professional from the facial prostheses area, thus successfully concluding this development.