Virtual prouction of dental prostheses using a dental virtual articulator

Dental virtual articulators constitute a great improvement in the design of dental prostheses. The use of computer aided design (CAD) systems and Reverse engineering tools permits the introduction of kinematic analysis in virtual design processes. This paper presents a research project aiming at designing a dental virtual articulator in order to simulate and analyse the mandibular movements. After a virtual construction of the articulator, plaster models of the jaw must be scanned. Apart from this, by means of a face bow, the relative location of the occlusal surface referred to the intercondilar axis must be registered. Afterwards, with the help of the CAD system, the dental prosthesis is finally developed as mandibular movements are simulated. The main value of this paper is its contribution to the methodology for the implementation of virtual design in the production of dental prostheses.