Intraoral scanning to fabricate complete dentures with functional borders: a proof-of-concept case report

• Main Authors: Alexey Unkovskiy, Eugen Wahl, Anne Teresa Zander, Fabian Huettig, Sebastian Spintzyk
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2019-03-01
• Series: BMC Oral Health
• Subjects: Case report; Complete denture; intraoral scanning; Additive manufacturing; 3D printing; Computer aided design
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12903-019-0733-5

Abstract Background The utilization of intraoral scanning for manufacturing of complete dentures (CD) has been reported recently. However, functional border molding still cannot be supported digitally. A proof-of-concept trial shows two possible pathways to overcome this limitation by integrating a relining procedure into the digital workflow for CD manufacturing. Case presentation Intraoral scans and additional facial scans were performed with two various scanning systems for the rehabilitation of an edentulous male patient. The obtained raw data was aligned and used for the computer aided design (CAD) of the CD. The virtually constructed dentures were materialized in two various ways, considering rapid manufacturing and digital relining approaches in order to apply functionally molded borders. Conclusion The use of intraoral edentulous jaws scans in combination with the digital relining procedure may allow for fabrication of CD with functional borders within a fully digital workflow.