Journal of Prosthodontics News
CAD-CAM Hollow Obturator Prosthesis: A Technical Report
Now online in the Journal of Prosthodontics, an open access article co-authored by ACP members Amal Alfaraj, BDS, MSD and Wei-Shao Lin, DDS, FACP, PhD, that describes a technique to hollow a digital design of a solid obturator base from a commercially available software in one step.
Restoration of significant oronasal defects require extension of the prosthesis that makes it heavier. An obturator with a hollow bulb can decrease the overall weight of the prosthesis, stress on the underlying tissues, and patient discomfort. However, fabricating an obturator with a hollow bulb with conventional approaches is time consuming and technique sensitive.
CAD-CAM technologies allow the digital designing and manufacturing of maxillofacial prostheses. This technical report describe a digital laboratory workflow to fabricate an obturator with a hollow bulb using a free open-source software program (Meshmixer v11.0.544) to convert a solid obturator base from a commercially available software into a hollow design. The conversion process utilized the existing “Hollow” function in the open-source software program and was completed in a single step.
This technique results in a 24% weight reduction of the hollow obturator base when compared with a solid one. The hollowing process allowed precise control of prosthesis thickness at the hollow space area for desirable hermetic seal and prosthesis strength.
Alfaraj A, Su F-Y, Lin W-S. CAD-CAM hollow obturator prosthesis: a technical report. J Prosthodont 2022; https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.13513
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