Design and fabrication of a 3D–printed oral stent for head and neck radiotherapy from routine diagnostic imaging

BACKGROUND: Oral stents have been shown to reduce the deleterious effects of head and neck radiotherapy through the displacement of normal tissues away from the areas of high dose irradiation. While these stents are commonly used in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer at many large academic cancer centers, their use is much more limited outside of these institutions due to the time and expertise required for their fabrication. RESULTS: In the study, we describe a novel method to design and manufacture oral stents from routine computed tomography (CT) imaging studies through the use of 3D printing technologies. CONCLUSION: Our proposed method may help to greatly expand access to these beneficial devices for patients undergoing radiation treatment at centers without access to dental and oral/maxillofacial specialists.