Abstract:

The objective of this poster is to illustrate the enhancement of communication through CGI (Computer Generated imagery) and CAD/CAM technology (Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing) to elucidate complex procedures and concepts or structures in a dental academic setting and also between the dentist, patient, and the dental laboratories.

Background / Introduction:
It is difficult for most people to fully understand the three dimensional forms that constitute the basis for many dental procedures simply by reading a descriptive narrative and looking at two dimensional pictures. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) and (CAD, computer aided design) technology is an excellent yet underutilized learning tool that can help professionals visualize the desired end product and many of the steps along the way. Furthermore, this way also allows the patient to be part of the design process of their own prosthesis and gives them a degree of control which can ease their treatment acceptance. The dental laboratories are then capable to reproduce the prosthetic piece (CAM, computer aided manufacturing) and deliver it to the dentist for insertion with.

Theory and Methodology:
The use of 3D technology in the dental setting can help the patient better understand procedures as well as the concepts relating to those procedures. Various software programs can be used for this particular kind of presentation. The designed prosthesis can then be reproduced by the dental laboratory. In an academic dental setting the didactics are not only enhanced but also accelerated due to the fact that the information presented in 3D images or movies is visual and can be absorbed easily by the audience. As there is an increasing demand for rapid information comprehension in short periods of time this allows for more efficient knowledge assimilation. Dentistry is a dynamic field that can benefit by the adaptation of these new tools now available in order to achieve the goal of learning more efficiently by incorporating both visual and auditory stimuli in an academic setting. On the other hand, the reproducibility of 3D meshes in solid prosthesis paves a new area in the dental field and creates a new degree of communication between the patient, the dentist and the dental laboratory.

Conclusion:
CGI (Computer Generated Imagery or also CAD/CAM Computer Aided Design / Computer Aided Manufacturing) is an excellent tool to use to demonstrate both practical and theoretical aspects of dental procedures to the patient and a laboratory and also in an academic setting from a 3D perspective.

Keywords:

Dentistry, CGI, CAD, CAM, 3D.