Fitness and retentive force of cobalt-chromium alloy clasps fabricated with repeated laser sintering and milling.
PURPOSE
With computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), the study was conducted to create a removable partial denture (RPD) framework using repeated laser sintering rather than milling and casting techniques. This study experimentally evaluated the CAM clasp and compared it to a conventional cast clasp.


METHODS
After the tooth die was scanned, an Akers clasp was designed using CAD with and without 50μm of digital relief on the occlusal surface of the tooth die. Cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloy clasps were fabricated using repeated laser sintering (RLS) and milling as one process simultaneously (hybrid manufacturing; HM). The surface roughness of the rest region, gap distances between clasp and tooth die, initial retentive forces, and changes of retentive forces up to 10,000 insertion/removal cycles were measured before and after heat treatment. The HM clasp was compared to the cast clasp and the clasp made by repeated laser sintering only without a milling process.


RESULTS
The HM clasp surface was smoother than those of cast and RLS clasps. With the digital relief, the fitness accuracy of the HM clasp improved. The retentive forces of the HM clasps with relief and after heat treatment were significantly greater than for the cast clasp. HM clasps demonstrated a constant or slight decrease of retention up to 10,000 cycles.


CONCLUSIONS
HM clasp exhibited better fitness accuracy and retentive forces. The possibility of clinically using HM clasps as well as conventional cast clasps can be suggested.
['Torii|Mana|M|', 'Nakata|Toyoki|T|', 'Takahashi|Kazuya|K|', 'Kawamura|Noboru|N|', 'Shimpo|Hidemasa|H|', 'Ohkubo|Chikahiro|C|']
D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena D002858:Chromium Alloys D017076:Computer-Aided Design D016734:Dental Clasps D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design D003799:Dental Stress Analysis D003781:Denture Retention D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable D006358:Hot Temperature D007834:Lasers D008422:Materials Testing D013499:Surface Properties
Retentive force Clasp CAD/CAM Relief Heat treatment