Designing an occlusal appliance digital protocol using an open-source 3D modeling software program: a technical...

Occlusal splints are a commonly prescribed dental appliance for the management of bruxism or temporomandibular disorders. The use of digital dental technology facilitates the fabrication of this therapeutic device. The improvements in digital technology have helped in designing and producing occlusal splints that show better precision and accuracy as well as ease of manufacturing in terms of time and materials, in addition to the option of a simple and straightforward duplication process. The present technical report describes the digital workflow steps that need to be followed to design an occlusal device in a fully digital protocol. Scans of maxillary and mandibular models were acquired in centric relation, and a virtual 3D occlusal device was designed using a free, open-source 3D modeling software program.