Presurgical confirmation of craniofacial implant locations in children requiring implant-retained auricular prosthesis.

Early prosthetic treatment is believed to be psychologically beneficial to children who have an ear defect resulting from congenital malformation. Lack of soft tissue landmarks and minimal bone thickness in deformed auricular areas are sometimes problematic for craniofacial implant placement in these children. This article describes procedures to confirm locations of craniofacial auricular implants by using computed tomographic scan information and a surgical stent. The procedures can also be applied to children and adults to identify locations for auricular implant placement. This method ensures precise locations for implant placement and it also provides a better prosthodontic prognosis for auricular defect patients.