2023 Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 202-210
Purpose: An articulator for measuring occlusal heights was developed, and the occlusal heights of hybrid composite resin crowns manufactured using CAD/CAM were compared with those of complete metal crowns fabricated using the lost-wax casting technique.
Methods: Occlusal metal crowns were fabricated using the lost-wax casting technique by three dental technicians with different years of clinical experience. Full coverage crowns (CAD/CAM crowns) made of hybrid composite resin were manufactured using milling discs and blocks of shaped material. The occlusal heights were measured with the articulator and compared among the full coverage crowns.
Results: Average occlusal height measured repeatedly using the articulator was −0.6 ± 0.7 µm, which was highly accurate. The occlusal height of the complete metal crown was −59 ± 6 µm, which was the smallest standard deviation of those fabricated by the dental technician with 20 years of experience. The occlusal height of the CAD/CAM crown from the block was 125 ± 18 µm, which was the smallest standard deviation, and it was higher than that of complete metal crowns (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The occlusal height of CAD/CAM crowns was 154–270 µm higher on average than the complete metal crowns fabricated by the lost-wax casting technique. In addition, stable manufacturing is possible by considering the shape of materials.
