Laser Medical Image Reconstruction and Computer Aided Design of Polymethyl Methacrylate for Pediatric Removable Space Maintainer Applications

Background: Although there are many advantages of removable space maintainers (RSM), current methods of making RSM have some limitations. CAD/CAM technology may be used to solve these problems. Methods: Digital model of dentition defects were obtained using scanning technique coupled with laser medical image reconstruction. The digital RSM were designed using 3 shape software. They were manufactured using two methods: Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and conventional methods. The spaces between the tissue surfaces of the RSM and the models were replaced using silicone, the maximum, mean distances and standard deviation were measured. A three-dimensional variation analysis was used to measure these spaces. The variance test compares the difference in distances among various materials. Results: The PMMA RSMs fit the models well. The maximum and mean distances of the PMMA groups were significantly smaller than those of conventional group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there were no significant different for the standard deviations among PMMA group and the conventional group. Conclusion: Digitally designed and integrated RSMs have good suitability and were better than that of conventional method. PMMA manufactured RSM using CAD/CAM technique may be applied to clinical.