Feasibility of optimizing radiation dose for three-dimensional printing of the maxillofacial bone based on low-dose CT technology

doi:10.12307/2026.557

Abstract

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Maxillofacial bone three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has been widely used in clinical diagnosis and treatment, but the data source before performing maxillofacial bone 3D printing mainly comes from the CT scanning data. The lens, thyroid and other parts of the human body are extremely sensitive to X-rays; therefore, it is particularly important to effectively reduce the dose of CT radiation when acquiring the data source.
OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of low-dose CT technology in optimizing radiation dose for maxillofacial bone 3D printing.
METHODS: The medical records of 65 patients who underwent maxillofacial bone 3D printing in the Department of Stomatology at the General Hospital of Northern Theater Command from March 2021 to December 2023 were retrospectively collected and categorized into a conventional CT-dose 3D printing group (conventional CT-dose, 120 kVp, automated tube current modulation, n=32) and a low-CT-dose 3D printing group (low-CT-dose group, 80 kVp, automated tube current modulation, n=33). The effective dose of radiation was calculated and compared between the two groups. A Likert scale was used to evaluate the quality of 3D printing in the two groups, and the measurement bias and consistency between evaluators were measured using the Bland-Altman method.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) There was no significant difference in the general demographic characteristics (age, height, weight, body mass, sex, and body mass index) between the two groups (all P > 0.05). (2) The effective dose value of the low CT-dose 3D printing group was (0.3±0.1) mSv, which was about 62.5% lower than that in the conventional CT-dose 3D printing group [(0.8±0.1) mSv]. (3) There was no significant difference in the subjective scoring of 3D printing quality between the two groups (all P > 0.05). The subjective consistency among evaluators was good, with Kappa values of 0.85, 0.80, and 0.76. The scatter points in the Bland-Altman for both protocols were uniformly distributed within the standard deviation line, indicating good consistency between the two groups. To conclude, low-dose CT technology can be effectively applied in maxillofacial bone 3D printing, reducing radiation dose without affecting the quality of 3D printing.

Key words: low-dose, computer tomography, 3D printing, maxillofacial bone, radiation dose optimization

CLC Number:

Li Guan, Wang Haopeng, Wang Jinbao, Song Xinhao, Qin Guochu, Shao Yang. Feasibility of optimizing radiation dose for three-dimensional printing of the maxillofacial bone based on low-dose CT technology[J]. Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research, 2026, 30(6): 1384-1389.

Figures/Tables 5

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