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LETTER TO EDITOR
Year : 2012  |  Volume : 1  |  Issue : 4  |  Page : 297

Significance of virtual articulators: An overview


1 Department of Prosthodontics and Oral Implantology, Shree Bankey Bihari Dental College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
2 Department of Prosthodontics and Oral Implantology,ITS Dental College, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
3 Private Practitioner, Pitampura, New Delhi, India
4 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, IDST Dental College, Modinagar, Ghaziabad, India

Date of Web Publication27-Feb-2013

Correspondence Address:
Prince Kumar
Department of Prosthodontics and Oral Implantology, Shree Bankey Bihari Dental College and Research Centre, Masuri, N.H. 24, Ghaziabad
India
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/2278-344X.107895

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How to cite this article:
Kumar P, Kumar A, Khattar A, Goel R. Significance of virtual articulators: An overview. Int J Health Allied Sci 2012;1:297

How to cite this URL:
Kumar P, Kumar A, Khattar A, Goel R. Significance of virtual articulators: An overview. Int J Health Allied Sci [serial online] 2012 [cited 2024 Mar 29];1:297. Available from: https://www.ijhas.in/text.asp?2012/1/4/297/107895

Sir,

Improved dental education and related technological training can be achieved primarily by virtual dental technologies with enhancing procedures that are usually restricted, such as working with conventional mechanical articulator. The virtual articulator is specially designed to be used as an instrument that evaluates and analyses the complex static and dynamic occlusal relationships. [1] With the use of semi-adjustable mechanical articulators, one cannot reproduce mandibular movements with associated time frames. However, these dilemmas can be resolved by replacing the mechanical articulator by its digital replication like virtual articulator. [2]

It essentially improves the designing of dental prosthesis by adding kinematic analysis to the design process. [3] Virtual articulator can signify and quantify the effects of resilience of the soft tissue on the time-dependent basis during muscular movements of chewing or eating. That is why it can exemplify the real-time dynamics of the occlusion. [1] Other significant advantages of using virtual articulators over mechanical ones are the reduction in inaccuracies while making inter-occlusal registration with registering materials that are prone to deformation (e.g., Bite registration wax) and accurate repositioning of the master cast into bite impression without leaving any space.

The most accurate occlusal surface reproduction can be achieved either using fully adjustable articulator that simulates mandibular movements with high degree of precision or using virtual articulators with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems. So, the virtual articulators produce the best fitted occlusal restoration possible, which in turn helps students to understand the functional dynamics of dental articulator, its different excursive movements, and their influence on the occlusal surface and to enhance the quality of communication between the dentist and dental technician. [3] Though the research is still going on in this field, various approaches have been made till now. Therefore, the virtual articulator is a fundamental device that deals mostly with the practical aspects of the dental occlusion and in the CAD/CAM manufacture dental restoration. The concept of virtual articulator will change conventional ways of production and communication in dentistry and begin to replace the mechanical tools. This letter is an attempt to draw attention toward the imperative role of virtual articulators in the establishment and development of most precise and dynamic occlusal relationships. I hope it will prove to be a gentle nudge to guide researchers in this direction.

 
  References Top

1.Bisler A, Bockholt U, Kordass B, Suchan M, Voss G. The virtual articulator. Int J Comput Dent 2002;5:101-6.  Back to cited text no. 1
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2.Solaberrieta E, Etxaniz O, Minguez R, Muniozguren J, Arias A. Design of a virtual articulator for the simulation and analysis of mandibular movements in dental CAD/CAM. Cranfield, England: Cranfield University Press; 2009. p. 323.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.Solaberrieta E, Arias A, Barrenetxea L, Etxaniz O, Minguez R, Muniozguren J. A virtual dental prostheses design method using a virtual articulator. Dubrovnik, Croatia: Proceedings of the 11 th International Design Conference; 2010. p. 443-52.  Back to cited text no. 3
    



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