ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Intraoral scanners (IOSs), which create digital "impressions" of dental arches, have become popular for prosthetic and orthodontic applications. Adoption in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) practices has been slower, likely because of high implementation costs and low-volume use. The purpose of this study was to evaluate costs for introduction of an IOS into an OMS practice. The authors hypothesized that digital impressions would be more efficient in time and cost compared with conventional impressions and that implementation costs would be offset within 1 year. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective study that included patients who had digital impressions during the first year after introduction of an IOS to the practice. Conventional alginate impressions obtained at the same visit were included for comparison. Variables included time for each step in each impression process, IOS experience of the operator obtaining the impression, and associated costs. Per-arch costs for each technique were calculated using time-driven activity-based costing methodology. RESULTS: Sixty-three digital impressions and 31 conventional impressions were included. Mean total times for digital and conventional impressions were 14.1 ± 1.3 and 19.4 ± 4.0 minutes per arch, respectively. On a per-patient basis (2 arches for digital impressions and 4 arches for conventional impressions because of the inability to create duplicate stone models from each alginate impression), total impression times were 24.8 ± 2.7 minutes for digital and 67.2 ± 14.8 minutes for conventional impressions. Total calculated costs for digital and conventional impressions were $21.42 and $29.40 per arch and $37.66 and $102.10 per patient, respectively. In a practice with 2 patients for impressions per working day (500 per year), it would take 1.04 years to offset the purchase of the IOS; with 5 sets of impressions per day (1,250 per year), it would take 5 months. CONCLUSION: Digital impressions are more efficient and cost effective than standard impressions, and implementation costs can be offset within the first year.
Subject(s)
Dental Impression Technique , Models, Dental , Surgery, Oral , Computer-Aided Design , Cost-Benefit Analysis , Dental Impression Materials , Dental Impression Technique/economics , Humans , Imaging, Three-Dimensional , Models, Dental/economics , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
Communication between the clinician and the technician has been an ongoing problem in dentistry. To improve the issue, a dental software application has been developed--the Virtual Facebow App. It is an alternative to the traditional analog facebow, used to orient the maxillary cast in mounting. Comparison data of the two methods indicated that the digitized virtual facebow provided increased efficiency in mounting, increased accuracy in occlusion, and lower cost. Occlusal accuracy, lab time, and total time were statistically significant (P<.05). The virtual facebow provides a novel alternative for cast mounting and another tool for clinician-technician communication.
Subject(s)
Dental Articulators , Dental Occlusion , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Jaw Relation Record/instrumentation , User-Computer Interface , Communication , Dental Articulators/economics , Dental Implants , Dental Impression Technique/economics , Dental Technicians , Dentists , Humans , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/economics , Interprofessional Relations , Models, Dental/economics , Time FactorsABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The introduction of digital cast models is inevitable in the otherwise digitized everyday life of orthodontics. The introduction of this new technology, however, is not straightforward, and selecting an appropriate system can be difficult. The aim of the study was to compare 4 orthodontic digital software systems regarding service, features, and usability. METHODS: Information regarding service offered by the companies was obtained from questionnaires and Web sites. The features of each software system were collected by exploring the user manuals and the software programs. Replicas of pretreatment casts were sent to Cadent (OrthoCAD; Cadent, Carlstadt, NJ), OthoLab (O3DM; OrthoLab, Poznan, Poland), OrthoProof (DigiModel; OrthoProof, Nieuwegein, The Netherlands), and 3Shape (OrthoAnalyzer; 3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark). The usability of the programs was assessed by experts in interaction design and usability using the "enhanced cognitive walkthrough" method: 4 tasks were defined and performed by a group of domain experts while they were observed by usability experts. RESULTS: The services provided by the companies were similar. Regarding the features, all 4 systems were able to perform basic measurements; however, not all provided the peer assessment rating index or the American Board of Orthodontics analysis, simulation of the treatment with braces, or digital articulation of the casts. All systems demonstrated weaknesses in usability. However, OrthoCAD and 03DM were considered to be easier to learn for first-time users. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the usability of these programs was poor and needs to be further developed. Hands-on training supervised by the program experts is recommended for beginners.
Subject(s)
Computer-Aided Design , Models, Dental , Software , Computer Simulation , Computer-Aided Design/economics , Dental Impression Materials/chemistry , Dental Impression Technique/instrumentation , Feedback , Humans , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Jaw Relation Record , Laboratories, Dental , Manuals as Topic , Models, Dental/economics , Orthodontic Appliances , Orthodontics, Corrective/methods , Patient Care Planning , User-Computer InterfaceABSTRACT
Orthodontic and surgical treatment planning in the conventional articulator is compared with three-dimensional computer tomographic (3D-CT) model surgery in an individually milled skull model. After computer tomography has been completed of the patient's skull that has a bimaxillary asymmetric disharmony, the data set is transferred to generate individually milled polyurethane foam models. The imprecisely delineated dental arches of the skull model are replaced by dental casts that allow the simulation of various orthodontic and surgical treatment procedures. Expected segment displacement, the best osteotomy lines, and the resulting skeletal and dental symmetry in relation to the orthodontic set up can be evaluated. Although the technique is both time-consuming and expensive compared with the traditional treatment planning through the articulator, we have included 3D-CT model surgery in our presurgical work-up of patients with severe dentofacial disharmonies. Especially in asymmetric cases, the individually milled skulls allow a higher precision of orthodontic and surgical treatment planning.
Subject(s)
Malocclusion/surgery , Malocclusion/therapy , Models, Dental , Orthodontics, Corrective , Patient Care Planning , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods , Centric Relation , Cephalometry , Computer-Aided Design , Dental Articulators , Forecasting , Humans , Jaw Relation Record , Maxilla/surgery , Models, Dental/economics , Osteotomy/methods , Polyurethanes , Prognathism/surgery , Prognathism/therapy , Surface PropertiesABSTRACT
A method for making low-cost custom dental teaching aids, using components of standard models and a silicone replication technique, is described. The process is quick, and is suitable for both small and large numbers of individual model types.