A technique to facilitate the prosthetic rehabilitation of oropharyngeal defects by combining an intraoral scanner with a conventional impression

Abstract

Digital techniques for fabricating obturators have been described.1-3 However, digital technology is difficult to integrate into their fabrication because of imperfections in the printed casts.4 In addition, the required equipment or even software-editing expertise may not be available for dentists worldwide. Londono et al4 recently published a step-by-step technique for fabricating obturator prostheses by using a chairside digital scanner and conventional impressions. However, the demarcation described between the printed cast and the bulb portion, from a conventional impression used to generate a definitive cast, raises some concerns about the complexity of the technique, specifically, whether definitive casts can be combined easily.