Use of intraoral scanning and 3-dimensional printing in the fabrication of a removable partial denture for a patient with limited mouth opening

Abstract

Background and OverviewWhen treating patients with severely limited mouth openings, it is difficult for the dentist to obtain an impression and fabricate a removable partial denture (RPD) by using traditional methods. Intraoral scanning, computer-aided design, and 3-dimensional (3D) printing have provided alternative methods for fabricating dental prostheses. Case DescriptionThe authors present a case in which they aimed to improve the efficiency and quality of fabricating an RPD framework by integrating the technologies of intraoral scanning, computer-aided design, and 3D printing. Initially, the authors reconstructed the digital cast with multiple intraoral scans. Subsequently, the authors designed the virtual RPD framework. On the basis of the virtual framework, the titanium alloy framework was fabricated by means of a 3D printing process, and the authors fitted the final RPD to the patient. Conclusions and Practical ImplicationsUnlike the traditional method, this integrated system has the potential to design a custom-made dental prosthesis and directly make an RPD framework with complicated patterns.