Contemporary dental CAD/CAM: modern chairside/lab applications and the future of computerized dentistry.

CAD/CAM in dentistry has been particularly useful in enabling the fabrication of custom, patient-specific restorations and prosthetics without the need for traditional analog dental laboratory methods. While the optimal use of CAD/CAM technology must be determined on a case-by-case basis, it is important for clinicians to recognize the opportunity to utilize computerized technology in patient therapy to provide more highly efficient, accurate, and potentially ideal outcomes. This article will discuss and evaluate the state-ofthe- art of CAD/CAM dentistry for both chairside and laboratory-based solutions. Current options for CAD/CAM technology in the treatment of patients for comprehensive dentistry along with the most common uses of chairside and laboratory-based applications will be explored. The discussion will also identify recent and future trends in CAD/CAM applications in dentistry.

Dental technology services and industry trends in New Zealand from 2010 to 2012.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a snapshot of the New Zealand dental technology industry and influencing factors. BACKGROUND: Developing an understanding of the commercial dental laboratory environment in New Zealand can provide insight into the entire dental industry. METHODS: A web-based survey was the primary method for data collection, with separate questionnaires used for dental laboratory owners and dental technician employees. RESULTS: The mean net income for dental laboratory owners in New Zealand was similar to that of the United Kingdom, at $40.50 per hour. Clinical dental technicians are the highest paid employees, with a mean of $33.49 per hour. The mean technical charge for complete dentures was $632.59; including clinical services, it was $1907.00. The mean charge for a porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) crown was $290.27. Dental laboratory owners expressed fear about the possibility of losing dental clients to overseas laboratories due to the availability and cheap charge of offshore work. Only 25.4% of dental laboratories surveyed had computer-aided design (CAD) facilities, and even fewer (7.9%) had computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) systems. CONCLUSION: Clinical dental technology appears to be prospering. The dental technology industry appears to be adapting and remains viable, despite facing many challenges.

The use of CAD/CAM in dentistry.

Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have become an increasingly popular part of dentistry over the past 25 years. The technology, which is used in both the dental laboratory and the dental office, can be applied to inlays, onlays, veneers, crowns, fixed partial dentures, implant abutments, and even full-mouth reconstruction. This article discusses the history of CAD/CAM in dentistry and gives an overview of how it works. It also provides information on the advantages and disadvantages, describes the main products available, discusses how to incorporate the new technology into your practice, and addresses future applications.

The dental laboratory dilemma in America.

Dentistry has lost some of its "touch" with the technical, laboratory aspects of the profession. More cooperation is needed between dentists and laboratory technicians in their education, in practice, and at the organizational level.

[Pathology and problems in theoretical and practical dentistry]. / Obshchaia patologiia i problemy teorii i praktiki stomatologii.

Pathology is a science describing the common regularities of pathological processes underlying disease development. Today pathology is defined as a theoretical science, which is at the same time closely connected to clinical practice. This paper reviews the history of research activities of Laboratory of Pathology of Central Institute of Stomatology. New methods have always been used at the laboratory; today it is histochemistry, radioisotope method (specifically histoautoradiography), and electron microscopy (including cytochemistry). Many-year research activities of the laboratory confirm the significance and perspectiveness of basic studies in dentistry, which are of priority importance for the development of theoretical dentistry and for solving the pressing problems in clinical practice.

The challenges of dental laboratory technology education: will it survive?

Accredited formal educational programs in dental laboratory technology are now under pressures at levels they have never undergone before. Already pushed to the point where many have had to close their doors, the remainder are struggling to survive with already strained resources. Whether or not they will be able to maintain their existence will depend upon their ability to attract quality students, provide them with a good, up to date education, and do so with ever increasing efficiency.