title: Design and fabrication of a sleep apnea device using computer-aided design/additive manufacture technologies.
abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze the latest innovations in additive manufacture techniques and uniquely apply them to dentistry, to build a sleep apnea device requiring rotating hinges. Laser scanning was used to capture the three-dimensional topography of an upper and lower dental cast. The data sets were imported into an appropriate computer-aided design software environment, which was used to design a sleep apnea device. This design was then exported as a stereolithography file and transferred for three-dimensional printing by an additive manufacture machine. The results not only revealed that the novel computer-based technique presented provides new design opportunities but also highlighted limitations that must be addressed before the techniques can become clinically viable.
authors: Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK. noalmortadi@cardiffmet.ac.uk
authors: Noor
authors: N
authors: Al Mortadi
authors: Dominic
authors: D
authors: Eggbeer
authors: Jeffrey
authors: J
authors: Lewis
authors: Robert J
authors: RJ
authors: Williams
mesh_terms: D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D003735:Dental Casting Technique / Q000295:instrumentation; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design / Q000295:instrumentation; D003813:Dentistry / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation; D008422:Materials Testing; D003765:Models, Dental; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000628:therapy*; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface
keywords: Dentistry; additive manufacturing; computer-aided design/additive manufacture; rapid prototyping; sleep apnea