Substituting the Conventional Facebow With an Extraoral Scan Body System for Transferring the Maxillary Cast Into the Virtual Articulator: Manufacturing Procedures and Digital Clinical Protocol.

Abstract

Clinical considerations: Conventional facebow records are used to transfer the maxillary cast into the analog articulator. Different reference planes have been described, including the true horizontal or gravity reference plane. A conventional facebow (Kois Dentofacial Analyzer; Panadent) allows the recording of the gravity plane for transferring the maxillary cast into the analog semi-adjustable articulator. Clinical procedures should also allow the maxillary scan transfer into the virtual articulator by using the true horizontal reference plane.

Objective: The present manuscript describes the step-by-step protocol to record the gravity plane and to transfer the maxillary scan into the virtual articulator by using an extraoral scan body system.

Conclusions: The extroral scan body device enables the substitution of the conventional facebow procedure. Additionally, this extraoral scan body is fabricated by using additive manufacturing technologies and eases the complete digital workflow for transferring the maxillary scan into the virtual articulator.