Prices · Orbit and jaw
Custom orbital or mandibular implant: what does it cost in Europe, and in dinars?
After the skull come the orbit and the jaw: two reconstructions where custom devices are spreading fast. Published prices are scarcer than for cranioplasty, but they exist. Here they are, with their equivalent in dinars.
3 min read8 sources
The custom orbital implant
To rebuild the floor or walls of the orbit, surgeons can use preformed titanium plates, mesh shaped by hand, resorbable sheets, or implants designed from the patient’s CT scan. The latter cost more, but are positioned more precisely in several studies [7,8].
In France, the Hospices Civils de Lyon trial comparing a 3D-printed porous titanium orbital implant with bone grafting reports an average cost of about €2,000, not reimbursed according to its description [1].
This amount covers the implant only: hospital stay, theatre and fees come on top, as for any orbital surgery.
The jaw: planning, cutting guides and plates
After tumour removal, the jaw is often rebuilt with a segment of fibula taken from the leg. Virtual planning designs the cuts and the shape of the graft in advance; it comes with cutting guides and, depending on the case, a prebent or milled custom plate.
| Study | What is costed | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Munich, published 2017 [2] | Virtual planning and prefabricated guides | ≈ €2,500 per patient |
| Munich, published 2017 [2] | Printed models and hand-made guides | ≈ €250 per patient |
| Lausanne, published 2015 [3] | Extra cost with a prebent plate | $5,098, i.e. $1,231.50 net |
| Lausanne, published 2015 [3] | Extra cost with a milled plate | $6,980, i.e. $3,113.50 net |
| United States, model published 2023 [4] | Expected total cost of care | $36,487 vs $26,086 without computer-assisted design |
Net: extra cost minus the operating time saved, valued at $47.50 per minute in Lausanne. United States: expected costs from a decision model, over the whole course of care.
The conclusions differ. The Munich study, on 31 patients, found no difference in operating time, hospital stay or complications between the two methods [2]. The US analysis judges computer-assisted design cost-effective thanks to the gain in quality of life, at $32,503 per quality-adjusted life year [4].
Devices that have become routine
In 2025, the purchasing agency of the AP-HP, the Paris public hospital group, issued a tender for craniomaxillofacial implants estimated at €14.4 million excluding tax over 46 months. Indicative annual quantities for the custom lots reach 800 cutting or repositioning guides, 1,600 plates and 150 cranial implants [5].
The same amounts in dinars
At the Central Bank of Tunisia interbank rate of 10 August 2026, one euro was worth 3.3778 dinars and one US dollar 2.9269 dinars [6]:
Indicative conversion, rounded to the nearest hundred dinars. Amounts from the year of each source, not updated.
As for cranioplasty, there is no public price for these implants in Tunisia: they depend on the case and are quoted individually. Designed and made locally, they avoid international shipping and import intermediaries.
When a custom device is worth it
Price has to be weighed against outcome. For the orbit, a German study found 13% revision surgery after preformed implants against none after custom implants [7]; a meta-analysis finds better restoration of orbital volume, but no statistically significant difference in clinical outcomes [8]. For the jaw, the operating time saved offsets part of the extra cost [3].
These amounts are orders of magnitude from the cited sources, not quotes. Only the hospital treating you can price your case.
Sources
Documents accessed in October 2026. Amounts are given in the currency and for the year of each source.
- 1Hospices Civils de Lyon. Evaluation of the efficiency for orbital reconstruction by 3D-printed patient-specific porous titanium implant in comparison with autologous bone graft (TOR-3D). ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03608280. clinicaltrials.gov
- 2Rommel N, Kesting MR, Rohleder NH, et al. Mandible reconstruction with free fibula flaps: outcome of a cost-effective individual planning concept compared with virtual surgical planning. J Craniomaxillofac Surg. 2017;45(8):1246-1250. doi.org
- 3Zweifel DF, Simon C, Hoarau R, et al. Are virtual planning and guided surgery for head and neck reconstruction economically viable? J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2015;73(1):170-175. doi.org
- 4Kurlander DE, Garvey PB, Largo RD, et al. The cost utility of virtual surgical planning and computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing in mandible reconstruction using the free fibula osteocutaneous flap. J Reconstr Microsurg. 2023;39(3):221-230. doi.org
- 5AGEPS, AP-HP. Avis de marché n° 25-17733 : dispositifs médicaux implantables de chirurgie crânio-maxillo-faciale. BOAMP, février 2025. boamp.fr
- 6La Presse (Tunis). Dinar tunisien : combien vaut-il face à l’euro et au dollar aujourd’hui ? 12 août 2026 (cours moyens interbancaires de la BCT du 10 août 2026). lapresse.tn
- 7Pietzka S, Wenzel M, Winter K, et al. Comparison of anatomical preformed titanium implants and patient-specific CAD/CAM implants in the primary reconstruction of isolated orbital fractures: a retrospective study. J Pers Med. 2023;13(5):846. doi.org
- 8Kotecha S, Ferro A, Harrison P, Fan K. Orbital reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the role of patient-specific implants. Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2023;27(2):213-226. doi.org
General information: this article does not replace your surgeon’s advice. Prices vary with the patient, the hospital and the implant; only a formal quote is binding.
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