Intraoral scanning of hard and soft tissues for partial removable dental prosthesis fabrication

This article provides proof of concept for the use of intraoral scanning technology to record hard and soft tissue morphology for the fabrication of a cast partial removable dental prosthesis. An open source intraoral scanner was used to scan the hard and soft tissues to create a stereolithographic file that was subsequently imported into a computer-aided design software program for the digital/virtual design of a partial removable dental prosthesis framework. Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing technology was then used to fabricate a resin framework that was trial placed to evaluate accuracy and for conventional investing and casting with a cobalt-chromium alloy. The cast framework and definitive prosthesis were judged to be clinically accurate in fit, stability, and retention.