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Review
. 2025 Mar 23;17(3):e81051.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.81051. eCollection 2025 Mar.

Use of Virtual Surgical Planning in Oral Surgery: A Systematic Review

Mohammad Abrar Bhatt  1 , Aashish Kemmu  2 , Aakriti Choudhary  3 , Ashwini Baghel  4 , Bhuvaneshwari Parthasarathy  5 , Aishwarrya P  6
Affiliations
Review

Use of Virtual Surgical Planning in Oral Surgery: A Systematic Review

Mohammad Abrar Bhatt et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Virtual surgical planning (VSP) represents a significant advancement in craniomaxillofacial surgery by utilizing 3D imaging and computer-aided techniques to enhance precision and improve surgical outcomes. This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of VSP in comparison to traditional surgical planning methods. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of studies published between 2000 and 2024, sourced from MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE. A total of 22 studies, including cohort, case-control, and randomized controlled trials, were analyzed to assess the impact of VSP on surgical accuracy, procedure duration, and patient outcomes. The findings revealed that VSP improves surgical accuracy and reduces operative times compared to conventional methods. However, challenges such as higher material costs and occasional inconsistencies in results remain. Despite these challenges, VSP holds significant potential to enhance precision and efficiency in oral surgery.

Keywords: 3d imaging; craniomaxillofacial surgery; surgical accuracy; systematic review; virtual surgical planning.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. PRISMA Checklist
PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses
Figure 2
Figure 2. Summary plot
Figure 3
Figure 3. Traffic light plot
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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