Creating a digitized database of maxillofacial prostheses (obturators): A pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Digital Dentistry
• Maxillofacial Prosthetics
• 3D Printing Technology

Background:

• Maxillectomy patients often require custom obturators for speech and swallowing.
• Maintaining readily accessible records of these obturators is crucial for emergency replacement.
• Traditional methods for obturator fabrication and record-keeping can be time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a digital database of fabricated obturators for edentulous maxillectomy patients.
• To establish a system for quick retrieval of obturator data for emergency situations.
• To explore the application of digital technologies in maxillofacial prosthetics.

Main Methods:

• Intraoral scanning of existing acrylic resin obturators.
• Saving scanned data as Standard Tessellation Language (STL) files.
• Utilizing 3D modeling software and fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing for model fabrication.

Main Results:

• Successful digital scanning of obturators, irrespective of complexity.
• 3D data storage in a compact digital format (19.6 MB).
• Accurate fabrication of a simulated obturator model from the digital data.

Conclusions:

• This study presents a viable proof-of-concept for a digital obturator database.
• Digital technology offers an efficient solution for managing obturator records.
• The proposed method enhances preparedness for emergency obturator needs in maxillectomy patients.