662 Exploring the Role of Digital Dental Previsualization within the context of Rehabilitation Dentistry

Abstract

As part of the process of creating a beautiful smile, aesthetic dental rehabilitation plays an important role. In terms of aesthetic analysis in the context of oral rehabilitation, as well as treatment predictability, Digital Smile Design (DSD), particularly through platforms like SmileCloud®, provides invaluable resources. Our prospective study aimed at examining the relationship between the clinical experience of dental practitioners and their proficiency in using DSD (SmileCloud). Additionally, the study assesses the association between previsualization scores and the category of respondents in terms of their connection to the field of dentistry (laypeople, dental students, and dentists). The study includes 11 subjects for whom three different dental practioners (a 2^nd and a 6^th year dental student, and a 2^nd year resident doctor in Prosthodontics) have each created a DSD using SmileCloud. The DSDs are evaluated in an online survey on tooth colour and shape and overall smile appearance. A total number of 220 responses has been collected from 48 dentists, 86 dental students and 86 laypeople. The DSD created by the 2^nd year resident doctor in Prosthodontics has received significantly higher scores for tooth shape and overall smile appearance (p<0.05) as well as for the design (p<0.05) and design*respondent (p<0.05) variables. The practitioner’s clinical experience turns out to have a considerable impact on aesthetic dental rehabilitation tools, which means that there is always a learning curve involved.