CAD/CAM FOR DENTAL RESTORATIONS: A REVIEW OF THE STATE-OF-THE-ART.

Advances in CAD/CAM have created the possibilty of developing an alternative technique for producing dental restorations. Three groups are actively engaged in this work. One is supported by Hennson International of France. Another is a combined effort between the University of Zurich and Brains, Brandestini Instruments of Switzerland. The third group is at the University of Minnesota and is supported by the U. S. National Institute of Dental Research and the University of Minnesota. Each group has a slightly different philosophy and approach to their activities. All three, however, are working toward the common goal of integrating automation currently available in engineering applications into the creation of dental prostheses. This review describes the systems being developed by each of the three groups and identifies similarities and differences between the systems.