  Objectives : This paper presents a new simulator for maxillo-facial surgery,
that gathers the dental and the maxillo-facial analyses together into a single
computer-assisted procedure. The idea is first to propose a repositioning of
the maxilla, via the introduction of a 3D cephalometry, applied to a 3D virtual
model of the patient's skull. Then, orthodontic data are integrated into this
model, thanks to optical measurements of teeth plaster casts. Materials and
Methods : The feasibility of the maxillo-facial demonstrator was first
evaluated on a dry skull. To simulate malformations (and thus to simulate a
"real" patient), the skull was modified and manually cut by the surgeon, in
order to generate a given maxillo-facial malformation (with asymmetries in the
sagittal, frontal and axial planes). Results : The validation of our simulator
consisted in evaluating its ability to propose a bone repositioning diagnosis
that will put the skull as it was in its original configuration. A first
qualitative validation is provided in this paper, with a 1.5-mm error in the
repositioning diagnosis. Conclusions : These results mainly validate the
concept of a maxillo-facial numerical simulator that integrates 3D cephalometry
and guarantees a correct dental occlusion.
