A Low-Cost Dental Impression Scanner

Dental impression scanning is the process of digitising a physical cast of the soft and hard
tissues in the mouth precisely. The resultant 3d model can be used for subsequent dental
restorations which can be milled from solid materials such as crowns, veneers, inlays, bridges
and dental implants. The process is fast and efficient, with the replacement parts typically
bonded on the same day, requiring a more conservative preparation of the tooth. In contrast,
the conventional method requires the patient to wear temporary prosthesis while a dental
laboratory produces the restoration over several weeks.
This project will develop a prototype digital impression scanner that can match the high
accuracy of existing systems but at a fraction of the cost. The system will be developed and
tested against a set of requirements developed in collaboration with a number of dental
surgeries.
According to analysis from Millennium Research Group, the global dental CAD/CAM system
market will grow strongly to reach a value of more than $540 million by 2016. This market
will see particularly strong growth in its chairside segment. Furthermore, Japan will see
stronger growth overall than Europe or the United States. The chairside segment, which
permits dentists to have CAD/CAM functionality in their offices, will show the most
significant growth worldwide. From around 50 percent of this market in 2010, chairside
systems and intraoral scanners will hold nearly 60 percent of a much larger market by 2016.
The main results from the project will be a pre-production prototype, a 10 micron scanning
module, 3d imaging intellectual property and design tools to improve our scanning design
capabilities.