Digital Quantitative Analysis of Occlusal and Morphologic Characteristics of Mandibular First Molar Implant Prostheses Fabricated via Fully Digital Workflow After Delivery: A Clinical Pilot Study.

This clinical pilot study quantitatively compared the occlusal characteristics of mandibular first molar implant prostheses fabricated via a fully digital workflow to those of contralateral natural teeth in 40 patients. After standardized clinical occlusal adjustments, implant prostheses exhibited an average occlusal clearance approximately 100 µm greater and a cusp inclination about 89% that of the contralateral teeth, with significant reduction particularly in nonfunctional cusp inclinations. The findings suggest that current tooth morphology databases used in CAD software may require modification—especially to reduce nonfunctional cusp inclinations—and highlight the need for dedicated implant-specific databases to improve digital occlusal design accuracy. The study underscores the importance of integrating quantitative occlusal parameters into digital workflows and suggests that incorporating dynamic occlusal records could enhance prosthesis design, although further research with larger samples and controls is needed to validate these parameters and assess long-term outcomes.