Abstract
Owing to its high corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility, titanium has become keenly watched as a metallic material for dental application in recent years. Because of its material property, however, titanium has not yet become sufficiently prevalent in clinical practice. In this study, therefore, a possible dental application of titanium for prostheses was investigated. Namely, maxillary major connectors of different palatal forms were prepared by a CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing) system, to examine the influence of the manufacturing process on adaptability and surface roughness, with the following results.
As to adaptability, the CAD/CAM system produced fewer gaps in bilateral residual ridges and in the center of the palate, but it produced recognizable gaps in alveolar areas. In addition, it was revealed that good adaptability is obtained with shallower palates, and the gap in alveolar areas is increased with deeper palates. As for surface roughness, stratified and linear traces were observed during the finishing process. Further, the surface roughness varied at each determination site depending on the positional change of the end mill.
