A CAD/CAM Technique for Fabricating Facial Prostheses: A Preliminary Report

A computer-aided designing and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technique for clinical fabrication of facial prostheses was developed. Laser surface scanning was applied to acquire three-dimensional imaging data of the patient's facial defect. The three-dimensional imaging data was then transferred to a CAD/CAM interactive program for image processing, which then mathematically designed and produced a model for fabrication of the facial prosthesis. This CAD/CAM technique has the potential to simplify the procedure and decrease the laboratory work required compared to that required for the conventional plaster-cast method. This new technique also provides a novel approach to the fabrication of prostheses for the recons truction of facial defects. Two alternative three-dimen sional modeling processes, laser lithographic modeling and numerically controlled milling modeling, were integrated in this study. The possibilities and current limitations of the techniques are also discussed.