Software Details in Occlusal Splint Creation through 3Shape Design Studio

Introduction: Occlusal splints are usually the first choice in the treatment of bruxism. Splints can also be the only treatment or can be ended with adhesive restoration, orthodontic or prosthetic treatment. Methods: This article demonstrates the steps of a digital workflow through the 3Shape Design system - splint studio. The initial units are virtual models, scanned by Trios Color Scanner (3Shape). Results: The digital protocol includes eight steps that allow precise and detailed creation of the searched object. Each step is described from the perspective of a clinician, prosthetist and orthodontist, not a dental technician. Possible complications and ways to management with them are described. Conclusion: Digital protocol of occlusal splint creation gives many opportunities according to design, thickness and occlusion.

OPINION OF TEACHERS BY SPECIALTY “DENTAL TECHNICIAN“ FOR THE CONTINUING POSTGRADUATE TRAINING OF DENTAL TECHNICIANS IN BULGARIA

Postgraduate training of dental technicians is their right and obligation, to meet the expectations of patients and dentists in the provision of health care. On May 31, 2019, the Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians was established. It is still unable to organize its activities in the direction - organization and control of postgraduate education. Our purpose is to find out if teachers are willing to participate in continuing education for practicing dental technicians, the directions in which they have the opportunity to do this and who should organize it. To achieve this purpose we used the following methods: study of literature sources, documents, sociologically, graphic and descriptive analysis to present the results. We found that, according to a large part, continuing education should be organized by Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians, the second place is assigned to Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians jointly with the colleges, and the third place is represented by the manufacturing companies of materials and devices. together with prominent specialists from the practice. Most of them are ready to participate in the postgraduate training of dental technicians, with the predominance of the respondents ready to organize courses in the field of modern methods and means for restoration of the defects of the dental crowns and dental rows with non-removable dental prosthetic structures. A small part of the teachers (27,78%) offer other additional courses, which will help practicing dental technicians: for development and management of practice; in the mentoring process; to create a publishing activity.

Early signs of pneumoconiosis in a dental technician in Italy: a case report

Background Dental technicians are at high risk of pneumoconiosis, usually driven by inhalation of mixed dusts, including metals. An etiological diagnosis is not easy to be performed, particularly in advanced stages. Case presentation We describe the case of an early pneumoconiosis occurring in a 47-year-old dental technician who developed respiratory symptoms shortly after beginning work. She described the work environment as dusty and lacking relevant primary prevention tools. A chest CT showed multiple peripheral pseudonodular lesions in both lower lobes; bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial aspirate evidenced numerous macrophages with reflective metal bodies included into the cytoplasm, that at scanning electron microscopy coupled to Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis resulted Zirconium and Aluminum, whereas Tungsten (W) was localized outside cells. End of shift urinary concentrations of W were substantially raised as compared to pre-shift (1.1 vs. 0.2 µg/L). Conclusions We concluded for diagnosis of early work-related pneumoconiosis due to abnormal occupational exposure to metals. The case demonstrates the need also for dental professionals to comply with industrial hygiene standards and to be monitored by occupational health physicians.

RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF POSSIBLE ERRORS AND METHODS OF THEIR ELIMINATION AT THE STAGES OF MANUFACTURING METAL-CERAMIC DENTURES

Актуальность: на сегодняшний день практически в каждодневной практике врача стоматолога-ортопеда и зубного техника есть заказ-наряд на изготовление металлокерамических зубных протезов. С сожалением, приходится констатировать факт, что металлокерамические коронки и мостовидные протезы не являются совершенными конструкциями, несмотря на долголетний опыт применения, использование современных конструкционных и вспомогательных материалов, высоких технических и инструментальных возможностей ортопедической стоматологии и зуботехнического производства. Целью работы является повышения качества ортопедического лечения путем подробного анализа возможных ошибок, осложнений при изготовлении металлокерамических протезов и способов и способов их недопущения. Материалы и методы: систематизация причин, ошибок и осложнений -как предмет данного исследования, на клинико-лабораторных этапах изготовления металлокерамических реставраций и изучение методов устранения. Результаты: после изучения клинико-лабораторных этапов изготовления металлокерамических конструкций выявлены основные виды ошибок, которые были разделены на клинические, лабораторные и ошибки на этапах литья. Предметом настоящего исследования стало подробное изучение технологических ошибок. Нами было установлены причины ошибок на каждом лабораторном этапе изготовления и представлены рекомендации по их недопущению и методы устранения. Выявлено, что наиболее часто встречающие недочеты выявляют на этапах моделирования и отливки каркаса, а также на этапах нанесения и обжига керамических масс. Заключение: возникающие ошибки и осложнения резко сокращают сроки пользования металлокерамическими конструкциями, влияют на неудовлетворенность больных качеством ортопедического лечения, провоцируют конфликты и разбирательства, а главное резко снижают качество стоматологического здоровья и жизни человека Relevance: today, almost in the everyday practice of a dentist-orthopedist and dental technician, there is an order-order for the manufacture of metal-ceramic dentures. Unfortunately, it is necessary to state the fact that metal-ceramic crowns and bridges are not perfect structures, despite the long experience of application, the use of modern structural and auxiliary materials, high technical and instrumental capabilities of orthopedic dentistry and dental production. The aim of the work is to improve the quality of orthopedic treatment by a detailed analysis of possible errors, complications in the manufacture of metal-ceramic prostheses and methods and ways to prevent them. Materials and methods: systematization of causes, errors and complications - as the subject of this study, at the clinical and laboratory stages of the manufacture of metal-ceramic restorations and the study of methods of elimination. Results: after studying the clinical and laboratory stages of manufacturing metal-ceramic structures, the main types of errors were identified, which were divided into clinical, laboratory and errors at the casting stages. The subject of this study was a detailed study of technological errors. We have identified the causes of errors at each laboratory stage of manufacturing and provided recommendations for their prevention and methods of elimination. It is revealed that the most common defects are identified at the stages of modeling and casting the frame, as well as at the stages of applying and firing ceramic masses. Conclusion: the resulting errors and complications dramatically reduce the time of use of metal-ceramic structures, affect the dissatisfaction of patients with the quality of orthopedic treatment, provoke conflicts and proceedings, and most importantly, dramatically reduce the quality of dental health and human life

Mechanical properties of CAD/CAM-fabricated in comparison to conventionally fabricated functional regulator 3 appliances

Manufacturing of Fränkel's functional regulator 3 (FR3) is complicated and requires extensive knowledge from the dental technician. To determine whether FR3s produced by CAD/CAM techniques (CAD-FR3) meet similar mechanical properties like conventional FR3s (Con-FR3), for each of 10 patient cases, three CAD-FR3 designs (palatal connector cross-section 3 × 3 mm, 4 × 1 mm or 5 × 2 mm) and one Con-FR3 were subjected to cyclic loading and subsequent fracture testing in a universal testing device. Transversal load capacity (Fmax(FR3)) and stiffness were compared among the different CAD-FR3 designs and Con-FR3s using Friedman and Wilcoxon tests with a significance level of α = 0.05. All CAD-FR3 designs had significantly higher mean Fmax(FR3) (p ≤ 0.007) and stiffness (p ≤ 0.005) than the Con-FR3s. The CAD-FR33×3 had the highest mean Fmax(FR3) (98.2 ± 26.2 N) and stiffness (37.1 ± 15.5 N/mm), closely followed by the CAD-FR35×2 (Fmax(FR3): 90.3 ± 24.7 N; stiffness: 30.0 ± 12.3 N/mm). Among the CAD appliances, CAD-FR34×1 had the lowest values (p ≤ 0.007 for all pairwise tests) with Fmax(FR3) of 45.8 ± 17.9 N and stiffness of 12.5 ± 7.3 N/mm. CAD-FR3s have superior mechanical properties in comparison to Con-FR3s if certain design parameters are followed. Further clinical investigations have to examine if they can serve as an alternative in practice.

CONTACT SENSITIZATION TO METALS AMONG A GROUP OF BULGARIAN DENTAL TECHNICIAN STUDENTS IN RELATION TO THE DURATION OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXPOSURE

Purpose: Sensitization to metals is a significant problem in dental, occupational exposures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of contact sensitization to selected metals during the course of study among students from dental technician school and the prevalence of co- sensitization. Material and Methods: Skin patch testing with potassium dichromate, cobalt, gold, nickel, copper, palladium, aluminium, tin and sodium tetrachloropalladate(II)hydrate was performed among 150 dental technician students (38 – 1st year of study,40 – 2nd year of study and 38 – 3rd year of study); the control group included 34 students without educational exposure to metals. Chi-square test, Fisher Exact Test and multiple binary logistic regression were used in data analysis. Results: During the educational course of dental technician students, a clear tendency of increase in the prevalence of sensitization to nickel (1st year of study - 10.5%, 3rd year of study - 36.8% cobalt (13.2% vs 39.5%) and palladium(II)chloride (10.5% vs 26.3%) was established. For the whole studied population, the prevalence of positive reactions to sodium tetrachloropalladate (II) hydrate was the highest – 30%; the highest recorded value was among the 2nd year students – 57.5%. The prevalence of sensitization to more than one metal allergen among the studied population was high (66.7%), the highest value was reported among 3rd-year dental technician students (78.9%). Conclusions: Our data indicate a high risk of contact sensitization to metals relevant for the dental technician students, which increases in the course of educational exposure for some of the metal haptens. Sodium tetrachloropalladate(II) hydrate could be outlined as a sensitizer of prominent importance, probably due to the increased sensitivity of this test salt. Additional and studies, including more respondents from the othe Colleges in Bulgaria are recommended. Adequate prevention programs and information should be provided, and the European Union regulations should be properly applied.

DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, PROFESSIONAL STATUS AND QUALIFICATION OF DENTAL TECHNICIANS IN BULGARIA

The profession of "dental technician" appeared relatively late. The first dental technicians were trained by dentists and worked for them. Gradually, they separated as master owners of the studios and began to hire and train apprentices and journeymen. This time has long been forgotten. After 1997, a dental technician became a person who acquired the right to practice the profession after three years of college education. At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the profession began with private initiative, passed through state and municipal ownership of dental laboratories, in order to return, for the most part, back to private initiative. Our goal is to study and present demographic characteristics, professional status and qualifications of practitioners in the specialty. To achieve this goal, we studied literature sources, regulations and conducted a sociological survey involving 360 dental technicians. The respondents are from 25 regional colleges of the Bulgarian Association of Dental Technicians, from which we received permission to hold it. We found that the class is relatively aging, which is in line with the demographic problems in our country and in the countries of the European Union. The profession is dominated by men, managers of dental laboratories, who for the most part are registered as Independent Medical and Technical Laboratories. A relatively large number of dental technicians periodically attend postgraduate courses to meet the ever-increasing demands of dentists and patients.