A Digital Chairside Technique for an Accurate Evaluation of the Taper of the Prepared Teeth for the Restoration of Crowns and Fixed Partial Dentures

Abstract

The aim of the article was to provide a digital chairside method for the objective evaluation of the taper of prepared abutment teeth retaining a fixed partial denture (FPD). According to research, the taper of the abutment teeth supporting an FPD has a direct effect on both retention and stress transmission to the abutment teeth. However, no approaches have been documented in the literature that objectively quantify the taper of the prepared teeth chairside, in a simple and cost-effective manner. The proposed technique utilized an intraoral camera with an on-the-go (OTG) connection, and a silicone dental bite block. The images of the prepared teeth were captured using this camera from the facial aspect. An indigenous program was developed using the MATLAB (Matrix Laboratory 2013) software for the analysis of the images and the taper of each abutment tooth was calculated in degrees using the software. The novel, chairside, digital technique utilizes an intraoral camera and a computer-generated software package to quantify and evaluate the taper of abutment teeth efficiently. This, in turn, can help minimize the errors in the treatment of FPD and improve the retention of the prosthesis. The current technique enables the clinician to avoid over-preparation of the abutment teeth by assessing its taper chairside. This digital technique can be a beneficial alternative to the existing procedures for an accurate assessment of taper, especially for the inexperienced operator. Hence, the quality of retention, and thereby the long-term success of the crowns and FPDs, can be enhanced. This article was presented as a postgraduate paper titled "Scan and Plan" on March 6, 2020, at 22nd IPS (Indian Prosthodontic Society) PG Convention, Kochi, India.