Impressions, models, and splints: The basic maxillofacial laboratory

The treatment of maxillofacial fractures has evolved over the years from simple stabilization using external bandages and prolonged immobilization to early mandibular function using craniofacial surgical techniques and rigid fixation. The use of splints in the treatment of maxillofacial fractures has been part of the plastic surgeons armamentarium since first reported by Bunon (1743). He used a block of ivory, which he attached by wiring it to two holes into the jaw. During the 1800s, Gunning and Bean devised several types of dental splints, which were secured with an external device. Dental splints have been fabricated in many forms and from different materials. They can be as simple as the patient’s existing acrylic dentures or as complex as custom fabricated casted crowns. The most commonly applied are fabricated using quick cure acrylic resin (methyl methacrylate) as either lingual, palatal, or intermaxillary splints.