Establishing an accurate prosthetic plane is a fundamental cornerstone of complete denture therapy, governing both masticatory function and facial aesthetics.
Conventionally, clinicians rely on arbitrary, average anatomical landmarks—such as Camper’s line or the Frankfurt horizontal plane—to orient the occlusal plane.
However, these generalized measurements often fail to account for individual facial asymmetry, limiting aesthetic predictability and overall patient satisfaction.
In the innovative clinical paper "A Manufacturing Protocol for Complete Dentures Using a Milling Cutting Method with an Individual Correction of the Prosthetic Plane", published in Bioengineering (MDPI), authors Wojciech Kondrat, Anna Stocka, Paula Łasica, Mutlu Özcan, and Teresa Sierpińska present a streamlined hybrid CAD/CAM protocol.
By integrating 3D facial scanning technology with milled PMMA technology, the authors provide a predictable workflow to tailor the prosthetic plane specifically to each patient’s unique facial architecture.
► PDF: Digital RPD Frameworks: CAD/CAM, 3D Printing, and Polymer Innovations in Removable Prosthodontics
Key Scientific & Clinical Highlights Covered
✔ Individualized Occlusal Plane Alignment: Utilizing 3D extraoral facial digitization (Face Hunter) to replace arbitrary average planes with patient-specific facial parameters, ensuring superior aesthetic harmony and facial integration.
✔ Hybrid Analogue-Digital Workflow: Combining functional silicone impressions and precise centric relation records with laboratory surface scanning to capture optimal mucosal adaptation and border extension before digital processing.
✔ Subtractive Milling Precision (CAD/CAM PMMA): Leveraging high-density milled PMMA to achieve exceptional structural fit, superior dimensional stability, and reduced monomer release compared to conventional flask-and-pack autopolymerizing resins.
✔ Milled Try-In Verification: Utilizing milled test dentures for rigorous intraoral verification of phonetics, occlusion, and aesthetics prior to final prosthetic milling, minimizing costly chairside adjustments.
Mastering this progressive CAD/CAM complete denture protocol empowers clinicians to bridge conventional impression accuracy with cutting-edge 3D facial digitization—delivering highly accurate, bio-integrated, and aesthetically flawless complete dentures.
📖 Ready to integrate 3D facial scanning and individual occlusal plane customization into your digital denture workflow?
Explore the step-by-step clinical protocol, examine high-resolution 3D facial alignment data, and download the complete open-access article in PDF format on MDPI here.
