Digital technology is becoming increasingly popular in dentistry. The aim of this article is to demonstrate and compare the capabilities of two different digital approaches, namely, intraoral scanning and digital examination of occlusion, in the final analysis of occlusion after orthodontic treatment. The capabilities and limitations of both systems are emphasized to help clinicians determine which system to use in specific cases. Materials and methods: The study included 32 patients (15 males and 17 females) in the retention phase after orthodontic treatment. Patients were aged 15 to 28 years with a mean age of 18.62 years (±4.17), and 62.2% were aged under 18 years. At the beginning of the orthodontic treatment, 18 patients had Angle Class I and 14 had Angle Class II. Overall, 18 patients were treated without extractions and 14 with extractions, while 12 had impacted teeth. All patients wore an Essix retainer in the upper jaw and a fixed canine-to-canine retainer in the lower jaw. Intraoral scanning was performed using Trios color (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2014), and digital occlusion imaging was performed using T-Scan Novus (Tekscan, Norwood, MA, USA, 2018). SPSS 23.0 was used to perform descriptive statistical analysis. Result and Conclusion: With the 3Shape system, the contacts are marked based on the proximity between dentitions. The T-Scan system measures the strength of the contacts, regardless of their area. Despite its many advantages, intraoral scanning is not a reliable method for recording occlusions. The results obtained are not incorrect, but they include limited parameters for analysis. The T-Scan system provides comprehensive results and allows analysis and treatment of occlusal dysfunctions. The T-Scan system can provide information on the first contact, strength of the contacts, contact distribution on each tooth, sequence of contacts, maximum bite force and maximum intercuspation, path of the lower jaw movement, and occlusion and disocclusion times as well as record videos with active sequences and distributions of the contacts. There is a good collaboration between intraoral scanning and digital occlusion determination.

Additive manufacturing is increasingly integrated into dental technology, yet the mechanical performance of 3D-printed denture base resins remains strongly influenced by printing orientation and post-curing duration. This study evaluated the combined effect of three printing orientations (0°, 45°, 90°) and three post-curing times (30, 45, 60 min) on the flexural strength and surface microhardness of a denture base resin. Specimens designed in Blender and fabricated using NextDent Denture 3D+ resin were subjected to three-point bending tests (n = 5 per group) and Vickers microhardness measurements (n = 10 per group). One-way ANOVA assessed main and interaction effects. Printing orientation had a significant influence on flexural strength, with horizontally printed specimens exhibiting the highest values, whereas vertically printed specimens were consistently weaker. Post-curing time did not significantly affect flexural strength within any orientation. In contrast, microhardness increased progressively with longer post-curing durations, regardless of orientation, indicating continued surface polymerisation. Because flexural strength and hardness responded differently to curing duration, no single post-curing time was universally optimal; however, 0° printing consistently produced the strongest specimens for this resin–printer system. This trade-off is clinically relevant, because dentures require high flexural strength to resist fracture and sufficient hardness to minimise wear.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of materials used for orthodontic retainers made by direct 3D printing and thermoforming. Materials and methods: Twenty-one specimens (n=7) from 3 different materials (Formlabs Dental LT Clear V2 - Formlabs Inc., Somerville, Massachusetts, USA; NextDent Ortho Flex - Vertex-Dental B.V., Soesterberg, The Netherlands, and Erkodent Erkodur - ERKODENT, Germany) were manufactured and their mechanical properties were evaluated. Two of the specimen groups were 3D printed and the other one was fabricated using a material for thermoforming. The statistical methods we applied were descriptive statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s post-hoc tests. Results: With respect to Young’s modulus (E), the Kruskal-Wallis test (df=2, χ²=17.121, p=0.0002) showed a significant difference between the materials for direct 3D printing of orthodontic retainers (E=2762.4 MPa±115.16 MPa for group 1 and 2393.05 MPa±158.13 MPa for group 2) and thermoforming foils (group 3, E=1939.4 MPa±74.18 MPa). Statistically significant differences were also found between the flexural strength (FS) (Kruskal-Wallis test, df=2, χ²=17.818, p=0.0001) and F(max) (Kruskal-Wallis test, df=2, χ²=17.818, p=0.0001). Conclusions: The materials tested in the current study showed statistically significant differences in their Young’s modulus, flexural strength, and F(max).

Purpose: The aim of the study is to determine the extent of the use of photography by dentists for the needs of everyday practice.\ud Material and methods: The survey was conducted among 254 dentists practicing in Sofia, 64 (25.2%) - men and 190 (74.8%) - women. The average age of respondents is 43.21 years. Questionnaire was developed, consisting of 9 questions, divided into two parts. The first part covers questions about the nature of the dental practice of respondent doctor. The second part includes questions about the use of photography for the purpose of daily practice.\ud Results: A statistical data processing is made. The average values of the responses received by groups of questions are analyzed. The factors that affect the use of dental photography were defined. The results show that from all of the surveyed persons, 82 (32.28%) people use photography for dental practice and 172 (67.72%) dentists do not to apply this method in their daily work. It was found that the reasons for not using the photography by dentists are: fear of cross-infection - 4 persons (1.57%); lack of need to use photography - 14 persons (5.51%); lack of interest - 18 persons (7.09%); cost of clinical time - 24 persons (9.45%); additional training - 58 (22.83%); expensive investment - 98 persons (38.58%). Conclusion: The extent and reasons for use of photography for the dental practice were found. The factors that are relevant to the use of dental photography by dentists were investigated

Additive manufacturing is now an integral part of digital prosthodontic workflows, and although stereolithography (SLA) is widely used for denture base fabrication, the dimensional accuracy of printed dentures remains highly dependent on manufacturing parameters, particularly build orientation. This study evaluated the influence of build orientation on the trueness and precision of SLA-printed maxillary and mandibular denture bases. Thirty complete denture bases were fabricated using SLA and divided into three groups according to build orientation: 0°, 45°, and 90° (n = 10). The intaglio surfaces of the printed dentures were scanned and compared with their corresponding digital reference models using three-dimensional inspection software. Trueness was quantified using root mean square error (RMSE) and directional deviations, while precision was assessed based on the variability of RMSE values within each group. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s post hoc test (p ≤ 0.05). Build orientation significantly affected the trueness of maxillary denture bases, with dentures printed at 90° demonstrating the lowest RMSE values. No statistically significant differences in trueness were observed among build orientations for mandibular denture bases. Precision was not influenced by build orientation for maxillary dentures, whereas mandibular dentures printed at 90° exhibited significantly greater variability compared with 0° and 45°. Build orientation is a critical factor influencing the dimensional accuracy of SLA-printed denture bases in an arch-dependent manner. Optimizing build orientation may enhance both accuracy and reproducibility, thereby improving the predictability and clinical reliability of additively manufactured denture bases.

Provisional fixed partial dentures represent a critical phase in dental treatment, necessitating heightened mechanical durability, particularly in comprehensive and extended treatment plans. Strengthening these structures with various reinforcing materials offers a method to enhance their resilience. Utilizing a three-point testing methodology on standardized trial specimens allows for a comparative assessment of various materials and reinforcement techniques for pre-prosthetic applications. This study aims to validate and assess the significance of integrating different reinforcing materials into standardized test bodies. The study focuses on test specimens comprising three types of unreinforced laboratory and clinical polymers for provisional constructions (n = 6)—heat-cured PMMA (Superpont C+B, Spofa Dental, Czech Republic), CAD-CAM prefabricated PMMA (DD temp MED, Dental Direkt, Germany), CAD-CAM printing resin (Temporary CB Resin, FormLabs, USA), self-polymerizing PEMA (DENTALON plus, Kulzer, Germany), light-polymerizing composite (Revotek LC, GC, Japan), and dual-polymerizing composite (TempSpan, Pentron, USA). Additionally, laboratory polymers are evaluated in groups with five types of reinforcing filaments (n = 15)—Glass Fiber (Fiber Splint One-Layer, Polydentia, Switzerland), Polyethylene thread (Ribbond Regular 4.0 mm, Ribbond Inc., USA), triple-stranded chrome-cobalt wire for splinting 015″ (Leone S.p.a., Italy), Aesthetic ligature wire 012″ (Leone S.p.a., Italy), and Glass Fiber coated with light-cured composite 8.5 × 0.2 mm (Interlig, Angelus, Brazil). Analysis of the data using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) reveals that the experimental bodies, produced via the subtractive digital method using PMMA (DD temp MED, Dental Direkt GmbH, Germany) as the polymer and glass filaments as the reinforcement, exhibit superior mechanical properties, particularly when pre-wetted with Interlig liquid composite (Angelus, Brazil).