Measurement of the Occlusal Splint Wear using Computer-Aided Design Software: A Dental Technique

Objective: To describe a technique used to measure wear on the surface of occlusal splints using dental Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software. Material and Methods: The technique employs intuitive CAD software (Exocad), which features innovative tools capable of providing qualitative analysis and quantitative data regarding wear and structural modifications of occlusal splints in patients with sleep bruxism. The workflow for file acquisition and wear evaluation is described as follows: Digitization of occlusal splints; Importation of STL files; Initial mesh alignment; Automated superimposition of STL files; Assessment of mesh agreement degree. Results: The technique enabled the quantitative analysis of the wear on the occlusal surface of the splints. After the superimposition of the standard tessellation language (STL) files of the splints with and without wear, the CAD software displayed the chromatic deviations that indicated areas of thickness reduction. The highest degrees of wear were observed in the anterior guidance and posterior contact areas. This wear pattern provided evidence of the different muscle activity behaviors associated with the bruxism, including predominantly eccentric movements in the anterior region and centric forces in the posterior region. Conclusion: Dental CAD software can be utilized as a viable complementary tool to identify the thickness of occlusal splints after adjustments and, consequently, diagnose the severity level of sleep bruxism, providing predictable treatment and effective patient management during clinical follow-up visits.