Determining the requirements, section quantity, and dimension of the virtual occlusal record

Conventional methods associated with many processes in dentistry are being replaced by methods that use digital technology. One of these processes is the making of occlusal records for the positioning of casts in a virtual articulator. Conventional interocclusal records and the articulator are currently being replaced by the intraoral virtual occlusal record and the virtual articulator.

The purpose of this study was to determine the requirements, quantity, and dimensions of the virtual occlusal record procedure in order to locate the mandibular cast's 3-dimensional (3D) spatial position in reference to its corresponding maxillary cast on a virtual articulator.

For the conventional procedure, 6 sets of casts were located in maximal intercuspal position without any interocclusal record. Then, using articulating paper, the occlusal contacts were determined. Afterward, the occlusal relationships and stone cast were digitized with a 3D scanner. To locate the maxillary cast, the occlusal contacts were compared by taking different sections as the virtual occlusal record. Finally, the optimum dimension of the virtual occlusal record was determined.

This study determines the requirements, quantity, and dimensions of the virtual occlusal record using current reverse engineering tools. The combinations of the sections were first determined as follows: 3 sections (2 lateral and 1 frontal) and 2 lateral sections proved to be the most accurate. Then, the predictive values (PV) for dimension determination for the left-right lateral combination were calculated.

The main conclusion of this study was that the combination of left and right lateral occlusal records was the most convenient. Additionally, the minimum optimum dimension for a virtual occlusal record was 12×15 mm.