Design, Development, and Evaluation of a 3D-Printed Buccal Myomucosal Flap Simulator

Objective: Buccal myomucosal flap procedures have become a critical tool in the armamentarium of the cleft surgeon. Mastering this technique is complex and providing sufficient training opportunities presents significant challenges. Our study details the design, development, and evaluation of a low-cost, high-fidelity buccal myomucosal flap surgical simulator. Our goal is to establish a reliable teaching tool for early learners, validated through craniofacial surgeon assessment.

Design: The simulator comprises of an anatomical model and a stand created using computer-aided design software. Hard tissues were 3D-printed, while soft tissues were cast in silicone. The model underwent review by craniofacial surgeons utilizing a 1 to 5 Likert scale across six evaluation domains.

Setting: In-person simulated dissection session.

Patients/participants: Sixteen craniofacial surgery providers from various subspecialties.

Interventions: None.

Main outcome measure: Anonymized survey responses.

Results: The simulator received fair to high scores across all evaluation domains, notably 4.31 as a training tool, 3.77 as a competency evaluation tool, 3.92 as a rehearsal tool, and 3.93 in relevance to practice.

Conclusions: The validated buccal myomucosal flap simulator theoretically enables the acquisition of surgical skills in a zero-risk simulated environment. Plans involve integration into a structured curriculum with diverse participants. Continued iteration and adoption hold the promise of significantly enhancing access to training for competency of cleft and craniofacial procedures.