title: Duplication of complete dentures using general-purpose handheld optical scanner and 3-dimensional printer: Introduction and clinical considerations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To introduce a new clinical procedure for fabricating duplicates of complete dentures by bite pressure impression using digital technology, and to discuss its clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The denture is placed on a rotary table and the 3-dimensional form of the denture is digitized using a general-purpose handheld optical scanner. The duplicate denture is made of polylactic acid by a 3-dimensional printer using the 3-dimensional data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This procedure has the advantages of wasting less material, employing less human power, decreasing treatment time at the chair side, lowering the rates of contamination, and being readily fabricated at the time of the treatment visit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kurahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Takaharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan. Electronic address: junchan@tokushima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.affiliation: Tokushima University Graduate School of Science and Technology, Japan.
authors.forename: Teruaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
mesh_terms: D001732:Bite Force; D017076:Computer-Aided Design / Q000295:instrumentation; D003779:Denture Design / Q000379:methods*; D003824:Denture, Complete; D006801:Humans; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation
keywords: 3-Dimensional printer; CAD/CAM; Complete denture; Duplication; Handheld optical scanner