Manual and Digital Workflows for Auricular Prosthesis Construction Among Undergraduate Students: Comparative Study

To compare manual and digital techniques for the construction of an adhesive-retained ear prosthesis among undergraduate dental technology students. Procedural efficiency and perceived ease of execution were evaluated.

A total of 111 dental technology students completed manual and digital procedures in constructing an adhesive-retained ear prosthesis. Time spent in accomplishing each procedure was recorded and perceived ease of execution was assessed on a Likert scale. Wilcoxon signed-rank paired test was used to compare manual and digital procedural times and Likert-scale scores at p < 0.05. Results are presented as median and interquartile range (IQR) and effect sizes were calculated using: r = Z/√N.

Shapiro-Wilk Normality test indicated non-normally distributed data (p < 0.05) for the time differences between the digital and manual protocols across all auricular prosthesis-construction steps. There were statistically significant time reductions in all digital workflow steps (p < 0.001). Effect sizes ranged from large to very large (r = 0.46-0.86), indicating a substantial efficiency advantage of the digital approach. For ease of execution of the different steps, there was statistically significant better perception (items 3 & 4) of digital ear alignment, merging, and casts subtraction as well as 3D printing and duplication of the reconstructed ear (p < 0.001). The overall composite Likert score of the items assessed was in favour of the digital workflow (Z = -2.721, p = 0.007), though its effect magnitude was small to moderate (r = 0.26).

Digital workflows steps involved in constructing an adhesive-retained auricular prosthesis are significantly time-efficient and better perceived than their conventional counterparts. Combining digital and manual approaches better prepares graduates with the essential technical and digital skills for contemporary maxillofacial prosthodontics.