Bassam Hassan1, Beatriz Gimenez Gonzalez2, Ali Tahmaseb3, Marcus Greven4, Daniel Wismeijer5. 1. Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Implantology and Prosthetic Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: b.hassan@acta.nl. 2. Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Implantology and Prosthetic Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 3. Associate Professor, Department of Oral Implantology and Prosthetic Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 4. Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Vienna School of Interdisciplinary Dentistry, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 5. Professor and Head, Department of Oral Implantology and Prosthetic Dentistry, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Complete-mouth implant-supported rehabilitations are challenging because of the multiple surgical and prosthetic steps involved in clinical evaluations to assure passive prosthesis fit and optimal esthetic and functional outcomes. As a result, these rehabilitations are usually associated with substantial clinical time, patient discomfort, and high treatment cost. PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot clinical study was to evaluate a novel digital approach integrating digital intraoral dental and extraoral facial scanning information to design and mill a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) implant-retained prosthesis for patients with complete edentulism. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients in need of complete-mouth rehabilitation were included in this pilot study. Digital intraoral records were obtained through optical scanning the duplicate interim prosthesis using a laboratory scanner, while digital extraoral records were obtained through facial scanning using an in-office scanner. The scanned impressions and occlusal records were used to create a virtual tooth arrangement, which was matched to the patient's 3-dimensional face scan to create a virtual clinical evaluation phase. After applying the necessary adjustments, the virtual arrangement was submitted to a CAM procedure where a 5-axis industrial milling machine was used to fabricate an interim prosthesis. RESULTS: Digital intraoral and extraoral records were integrated and used to fabricate CAD-CAM milled interim prostheses, which were inserted and assessed for clinical fit, occlusion/articulation, and esthetics. The prostheses remained in function for at least 6 months with no notable technical or biological complications except for 1 prosthesis that fractured. CONCLUSIONS: A novel digital workflow incorporating facial scanning in a CAD-CAM workflow was used to fully digitally design and mill 10 implant-retained interim prostheses. More research is required to further develop and assess the accuracy and applicability of this approach.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Complete-mouth implant-supported rehabilitations are challenging because of the multiple surgical and prosthetic steps involved in clinical evaluations to assure passive prosthesis fit and optimal esthetic and functional outcomes. As a result, these rehabilitations are usually associated with substantial clinical time, patient discomfort, and high treatment cost. PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot clinical study was to evaluate a novel digital approach integrating digital intraoral dental and extraoral facial scanning information to design and mill a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) implant-retained prosthesis for patients with complete edentulism. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten patients in need of complete-mouth rehabilitation were included in this pilot study. Digital intraoral records were obtained through optical scanning the duplicate interim prosthesis using a laboratory scanner, while digital extraoral records were obtained through facial scanning using an in-office scanner. The scanned impressions and occlusal records were used to create a virtual tooth arrangement, which was matched to the patient's 3-dimensional face scan to create a virtual clinical evaluation phase. After applying the necessary adjustments, the virtual arrangement was submitted to a CAM procedure where a 5-axis industrial milling machine was used to fabricate an interim prosthesis. RESULTS: Digital intraoral and extraoral records were integrated and used to fabricate CAD-CAM milled interim prostheses, which were inserted and assessed for clinical fit, occlusion/articulation, and esthetics. The prostheses remained in function for at least 6 months with no notable technical or biological complications except for 1 prosthesis that fractured. CONCLUSIONS: A novel digital workflow incorporating facial scanning in a CAD-CAM workflow was used to fully digitally design and mill 10 implant-retained interim prostheses. More research is required to further develop and assess the accuracy and applicability of this approach.