Concepts and Clinical Applications of Intraoral 3D Scanning in the Management of Patients with Orofacial Clefts

Abstract

Digital workflow in the dental is on the brink of completely replacing the traditional workflow. This opened the frontier for the introduction of intraoral scanners (IOS). In the craniofacial field, IOS has proven its applicability in various procedures with highly promising results. This includes comprehensive diagnosis of patients with orofacial clefts and custom-made treatment planning of challenging cases as well as its use in nasoalveolar molding (NAM) therapy. IOS also opened the horizon to the advanced digital workflow required for appliances design, manufacturing, and virtual surgical planning. IOS offer various advantages that decrease the time, effort for both the patients, their families and care providers. IOS adopt different optical technologies what aim for precise recording of a three-dimensional (3D) object. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review of the use of intraoral scanners in the craniofacial field.