Developing a workable infection control policy for the dental laboratory

An enforced infection control policy in a laboratory will reduce occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens and other infectious diseases and protect the dental laboratory personnel from exposure to infective disease. An outline of a workable laboratory infection control policy based on "Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens" requirements is presented.     

Technical Report: Precisely Fitting Bars on Implants in Five Steps—A CAD/CAM Concept for the Edentulous Mandible

Various treatment concepts have been presented for the edentulous mandible. Manufacturing tension‐free and precisely fitting bars on dental implants was previously a great challenge in prosthetic dentistry and required great effort. Modern computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing technology in combination with some clinical modifications of the established workflow enables the clinician to achieve precise results in a very efficient way. The innovative five‐step concept is presented in a clinical case.     

Sectional Impressions and Simplified Folding Complete Denture for Severe Microstomia

A patient presenting with severe microstomia (PDI Class IV) was unable to insert a maxillary complete denture. Sectional final impressions were made using two impression materials and an interlocking custom tray. A folding record base was used for maxillomandibular relationship records. A novel folding maxillary denture with a custom hinge and plunger attachment to lock the denture in the open position was fabricated. The patient was able to insert the collapsed denture, open it intraorally, and enjoy successful masticatory function.     

Immediate Occlusal Loading in Edentulous Jaws,CT‐Guided Surgery and Fixed Provisional Prosthesis: A Maxillary Arch Clinical Report

Immediate occlusal loading (IOL) in edentulous jaws has been reported in numerous publications with implant cumulative survival rates consistent with conventional, unloaded healing protocols. Computed Tomography (CT)‐guided surgery has more recently been developed and accepted as an additional treatment modality for maxillary and mandibular implant placement, with or without IOL. Reports as to the accuracy of planned versus actual implant placement in CT‐guided surgeries have indicated that CT‐guided surgery is not 100% accurate; standard deviations have been reported with values between 1 and 2 mm in terms of actual versus planned placement. The purpose of this article is to review the clinical parameters associated with IOL, and CT‐guided surgery in edentulous jaws; and to present a clinical case illustrating the clinical and laboratory phases of treatment. The illustrated treatment was accomplished with an IOL protocol and includes fabrication and placement of a laboratory‐processed provisional maxillary prosthesis. This particular protocol had slightly increased costs relative to conventional implant placement; however, the clinicians and patient benefited from improved accuracy of the provisional prostheses and decreased chairtime for the clinical procedures. The benefits and limitations of this treatment protocol are also discussed.