title: Effect of prosthodontic planning on intercuspal occlusal contacts: comparison of digital and conventional planning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adequate occlusal contacts are critical for masticatory function. The aim of this study is to evaluate the intercuspal occlusal contacts following conventional and digital wax-ups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stone casts of 15 patients undergoing prosthodontic treatment were gathered. Each cast was duplicated twice, so that conventional and digital wax-ups could be performed. To assess the occlusion, the following variables were evaluated: contact number per tooth (CNT), contact area per tooth (CAT) and contact accuracy. Further, the impact of tooth location in the arch was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CNT and CAT after the wax-ups increased significantly following each wax-up, and this increase was more prominent for the posterior teeth than the anterior teeth. The conventional wax-up was associated with lower CNT than the digital wax-up, especially for the posterior teeth. On the other hand, the CAT was greater for the conventional wax-up than the digital wax-up for the anterior and posterior teeth. In terms of accuracy, the two wax-ups showed greater discrepancies than the pre-treatment casts, however, the magnitude of discrepancy was greater for the digital wax-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The two wax-ups improved the contact number and area. Despite the statistical variation between the wax-ups, the actual difference was minimal. Therefore, it could be speculated that the two wax-ups produced a similar outcome.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Dental School, Melbourne University, 720 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia; School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Electronic address: jaafar_abduo@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jaafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Abduo
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science and Software Engineering, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Electronic address: mohammed.bennamoun@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bennamoun
authors.affiliation: School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Electronic address: marc@crroh.uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tennant
authors.affiliation: School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia. Electronic address: john.mcgeachie@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McGeachie
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008409:Mastication; D003765:Models, Dental; D011476:Prosthodontics / Q000379:methods*; D012984:Software; D014070:Tooth / Q000502:physiology; D014885:Waxes
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D014885:Waxes
keywords: Articulation; Contact area; Contact number; Digital dentistry; Wax-up