RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the feasibility of designing and fabricating customized titanium bone substitutes to restore mandibular bone defects using reverse engineering (RE) and rapid prototyping (RP) techniques.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Titanium tray for mandibular defects were designed and fabricated through multi-step procedures of reverse engineering and rapid prototyping, then in operation it was filled with cancellous bone and fixed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The bone substitutes fabricated by this method had been successfully put into clinical use for maxillofacial surgery in 2 patients and got a satisfactory result.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Reverse engineering combining with rapid prototyping could accomplish the design and manufacture of implant for the restoration of mandibular bone defects.</p>