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Fundamentals of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) in Dental Healthcare: From Basics to Beyond

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3D Printing in Oral Health Science

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Abstract

Computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) have become a significant part of modern dentistry as a diagnostic and treatment planning tool and a means to fabricate various dental prosthetics. In recent years, key advancements and increased market competition have led to this technology becoming more affordable than ever before. The purpose of this chapter is to guide dental professionals on the use of dental CAD/CAM, its present state, and possible future outcomes. The focus is on the computer-aided design workflow and everything it entails: acquisition, design of dental prosthetics and various auxiliary appliances, and manufacturing of these designs. There will also be a discussion about the advantages and limitations of digital dentistry and digital dental technology.

Readers will learn about basic categorizations and types of dental CAD software, file formats, and common dental designing software (exocad, 3Shape, CEREC software, and inLab). Nowadays, specialized programs and software modules are used in many dental disciplines, such as restorative dentistry, implantology, orthodontics, prosthodontics, and maxillofacial surgery. This chapter will further describe how computer-generated designs and prosthetics can be manufactured either chairside in a dental office or a laboratory.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    MC is an abbreviation for “Milling center” although Dentsply Sirona refers to their milling machines as “milling and grinding” units nowadays.

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Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Dr. Hamid Al-Hassiny, and Dr. Khilood Ali, for their endless support and mentorship. Also, thanks to Olga Kadlecova for her involvement in this chapter and help with all things related to the Institute of Digital Dentistry.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Digital Dentistry, Wellington, New Zealand

    Ahmad Al-Hassiny

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  1. Ahmad Al-Hassiny
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Correspondence to Ahmad Al-Hassiny .

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  1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

    Prabhat Kumar Chaudhari

  2. North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India

    Dinesh Bhatia

  3. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, India

    Jitendra Sharan

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Al-Hassiny, A. (2022). Fundamentals of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) in Dental Healthcare: From Basics to Beyond. In: Chaudhari, P.K., Bhatia, D., Sharan, J. (eds) 3D Printing in Oral Health Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07369-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07369-4_5

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