Creating a digitized database of maxillofacial prostheses (obturators): A pilot study

PURPOSE This study aimed to create a digitized database of fabricated obturators to be kept for patients' potential emergency needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS A chairside intraoral scanner was used to scan the surfaces of an acrylic resin obturator. The scanned data was recorded and saved as a single standard tessellation language file using a three-dimensional modeling software. A simulated obturator model was manufactured using fused deposition modeling technique in a three-dimensional printer. RESULTS The entire obturator was successfully scanned regardless of its structural complexity, modeled as three-dimensional data, and stored in the digital system of our clinic at a relatively small size (19.6 MB). A simulated obturator model was then accurately manufactured from these data. CONCLUSION This study provides a proof-of-concept for the use of digital technology to create a digitized database of obturators for edentulous maxillectomy patients.