Nikitas Sykaras

Objective: The purpose of these two clinical cases reports was to present the variations in the surgical and prosthetic procedures related to an implant-supported fixed dental prosthesis (FDP) in the edentulous maxilla, following a fully guided implantation protocol and immediate loading. Case presentation: Two patients, one with terminal dentition and one with a completely edentulous maxilla, expressed the desire for immediate rehabilitation with an FDP and avoidance of multiple and complex surgical procedures. The clinical protocol for both cases included meticulous presurgical planning combining radiographic examination, diagnostic wax-up (conventional or digital), prosthetically driven digital planning of implant placement, fabrication of a surgical guide for fully guided implant installation, and delivery of a screw-retained fixed restoration. There was no report of any implant failure; the FDPs could be delivered as planned, and both patients expressed their satisfaction with the functional and esthetic outcomes. The clinical situation was stable at the recall.

Objective: The Staub™ Cranial system is based on defined anatomical reference points of edentulous casts that can guide the reconstruction of artificial teeth on the edentulous jaw. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of the Staub™ Cranial system in reconstructing the position of natural teeth in edentulous maxillae. Materials and methods: To reconstruct the original position of natural teeth, 20 fully dentate maxillary casts were produced, and 20 duplicates had all teeth eliminated. Subsequently, following the Staub™ Cranial system guidelines, an artificial teeth set-up was completed. The measured distances included the intermolar width #16–26, the intercanine width #13–23, and the incisocervical length #11. Measurements were made using the principle of stripe projection with specially developed software. Original and reproduced casts were then compared. The reproduced casts with measured distances deviating less than 5% from the mean values of control models were considered successful reconstructions. Results: The ability of the system to reconstruct the original position of lost teeth in the edentulous jaw was precise. With a narrow tolerance range of 5%, 80% of the models could be reproduced with zero or a deviation in one dimension only. Conclusions: The results of this study confirmed the efficacy of the Staub™ Cranial system to provide guidance for the customized arrangement of artificial teeth in edentulous jaws.

Background/Objectives: To compare patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) between digital and conventional impression techniques for implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (iFDPs). Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library databases up to June 2025, following PRISMA guidelines. Human clinical studies reporting PROMs between digital and conventional impression techniques for iFDPs were included. Studies using structured, but not necessarily validated, questionnaires were eligible. Two reviewers independently performed study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. Where possible, meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model to pool comparable outcomes across studies using mean differences (MD) or standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Out of 1784 records screened, eighteen studies were included. Most studies showed that digital impressions were associated with higher patient satisfaction, compared to conventional impressions. Ten studies contributed data to at least one outcome; pooled analyses included the following: overall satisfaction (k = 5), comfort (k = 7), gagging/nausea (k = 5), esthetic satisfaction (k = 2), unpleasant taste (k = 5), anxiety (k = 5), discomfort (k = 2), pain (k = 5), and overall discomfort (k = 5). Digital impressions were significantly favored (p < 0.05) for anxiety (MD = 13.3, 95% CI: −22 to −4.5), nausea (MD = −26.4, 95% CI −46.8 to −6.0), bad taste (MD = −34.8, 95% CI −58.3 to −11.3), discomfort (SMD = −2.24, 95% CI −3.51 to −0.98), comfort (SMD = 1.77, 95% CI: 0.60 to 2.94), perceived procedure time (SMD = 0.96; 95% CI 0.29 to 1.62), and overall satisfaction (SMD = 0.55; 95% CI 0.01 to 1.09). No statistically significant differences were found for pain or esthetic evaluation. Substantial between-study heterogeneity was observed among the included studies. Conclusions: Current evidence indicates that digital impression workflows enhance the overall patient experience for implant-supported fixed restorations, especially in domains linked to comfort and procedural efficiency. These findings support PROM-informed personalization of impression workflows: screening for gagging, anxiety, or intolerance to impression materials could guide patient-tailored use of intraoral scanning while acknowledging no consistent advantage for pain or esthetic perception.

Fabrication of complete dentures (CDs) utilizing computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) methods has attracted a lot of attention. The purpose of this paper was to summarize current knowledge about digital CDs and the relevant technology, and to present the application of the new technology in a dental geriatrics case. Initially, some of the challenges regarding digitization of the oral mucosa as a supporting surface of the CDs’ intaglio surface are listed. Next, a brief introduction of the CAD software capabilities regarding CDs is presented. The latest CAM additive and subtractive techniques for CDs are following. Subsequently, the consecutive steps for the construction of a digital CD as part of the prosthodontic treatment of a 90-year-old ambulative female patient are presented. Finally, some considerations about the digital workflow in CD manufacturing are discussed. In conclusion, the new digital technology has clear advantages; however, implementation requires careful planning. The digital workflow is applicable and versatile.