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PAIR Virtual Patient: The Future of Implant Rehabilitation


Are you ready for the future of implant dentistry?

Meet the PAIR virtual patient, a new technique that bridges the gap between implant surgery and reconstructive dentistry. With the PAIR virtual patient, dentists can plan implant placement and prosthetic design in a virtual environment, which can help to improve the predictability of treatment and the patient's overall outcome.


What is the PAIR virtual patient?


The PAIR virtual patient is a computer model of a patient's dental anatomy that is created using a custom gothic arch tracer during a CBCT scan.

The data from the CBCT scan is then superimposed onto a 3-dimensional virtual facebow. This allows the dentist to achieve reliable centric relation and vertical dimension of occlusion, which are essential for successful implant rehabilitation.


How does it work?


The PAIR virtual patient is compatible with virtual articulators, which allows the dentist to simulate the movements of the jaw. This helps the dentist to plan implant placement in a way that is compatible with the patient's natural bite.


The PAIR virtual patient can also be used to design prosthetic restorations. This helps to ensure that the restorations are compatible with the implant placement and that they will provide the patient with the desired level of function and aesthetics.



Image of a 3D model of a patient's jaw, with the implant sites highlighted in red. The model is being used in a virtual articulator software to plan implant placement and prosthetic design. This is a PAIR virtual patient.
Figure 1Digital workflow of PAIR virtual patient. CBCT, cone beam computed tomography; PAIR, prosthetic articulator-based implant rehabilitation.

Image credit: Junying Li, Wael Att, Zhaozhao Chen, Luca Lepidi, Hom-Lay Wang, and Tim Joda. "Prosthetic Articulator-Based Implant Rehabilitation Virtual Patient: A Technique Bridging Implant Surgery and Reconstructive Dentistry." Journal of Prosthodontic Dentistry, 2023:


Workflow for creating a PAIR virtual patient

The workflow for creating a PAIR virtual patient is as follows:

  1. The dentist takes a CBCT scan of the patient's jaw.

  2. The dentist uses a custom gothic arch tracer to capture the patient's centric relation and vertical dimension of occlusion.

  3. The data from the CBCT scan and the gothic arch tracer is imported into a virtual articulator software.

  4. The dentist simulates the movements of the jaw in the virtual articulator.

  5. The dentist plans implant placement in the virtual patient.

  6. The dentist designs prosthetic restorations in the virtual patient.

Purpose

The purpose of the PAIR virtual patient is to improve the predictability of implant rehabilitation.

By allowing dentists to plan implant placement and prosthetic design in a virtual environment, the PAIR virtual patient can help to ensure that the treatment outcome is in line with the patient's expectations.


Benefits

The benefits of using the PAIR virtual patient include:

  • Improved predictability of treatment outcome

  • Increased efficiency of treatment planning

  • Reduced risk of complications

  • Improved patient satisfaction

Conclusion

The PAIR virtual patient is a valuable tool for dentists who are involved in implant rehabilitation. It can help to improve the predictability of treatment and the overall outcome for patients.



Question:

What is the main purpose of creating the Prosthetic Articulator-Based Implant Rehabilitation (PAIR) virtual patient?

Answer: The main purpose of creating the PAIR virtual patient is to bridge the gap between implant surgery and reconstructive dentistry. By allowing dentists to plan implant placement and prosthetic design in a virtual environment, the PAIR virtual patient can help to improve the predictability of treatment and the overall outcome.


I hope this article has been informative.


Are you interested in learning more about the PAIR virtual patient?


If so, I encourage you to check out the original research article "Prosthetic Articulator-Based Implant Rehabilitation Virtual Patient: A Technique Bridging Implant Surgery and Reconstructive Dentistry" by Junying Li, Wael Att, Zhaozhao Chen, Luca Lepidi, Hom-Lay Wang, and Tim Joda. The article was published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry in July 2023.



Acknowledgement

This article is based on the research article "Prosthetic Articulator-Based Implant Rehabilitation Virtual Patient: A Technique Bridging Implant Surgery and Reconstructive Dentistry" by Junying Li, Wael Att, Zhaozhao Chen, Luca Lepidi, Hom-Lay Wang, and Tim Joda.

The article was published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry in 2023.


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