Clinical application of digital space maintainer fabricated by polyetherketoneketone for premature loss of deciduous teeth

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effect of polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) digital space maintainer for early loss of deciduous teeth. Methods In the study, five children (male 2, female 3) with unilateral loss of either first or second molars were enrolled from our hospital in accordance with the inclusion criteria. After the enrollment of patients, their digital intraoral impressions were obtained by using a intraoral scanning system, and imported directly into 3Shape Dental Design software system. Space maintainer (band with loop) device was designed by CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software, and manufactured by milling of the PEKK blocks. The digital space maintainer was adjusted first on the definitive cast and then intraorally, and cemented on the abutment teeth. Results The digital space maintainers fabricated by PEKK for deciduous premature loss in five children were 75% lighter than the conventional one. The design and fabrication process only took 1 hour and thus could be delivered within the same day. The intraoral scans were consistent with the abutment teeth. Conclusions The digital space maintainer fabricated by PEKK could shorten patients’ waiting time, which could be completed on the same day, and improved the comfort of the children. The suitability of space maintainer was improved by the digital workflow and fabricated by PEKK. The digital space maintainer was fabricated with no metal with improved aesthetics. There was a good clinical application prospect for digital space maintainer fabricated by PEKK for premature loss of deciduous teeth. Key words: Tooth, deciduous; Space maintenance; Computer-assisted design; Dental impression technique, digital; Polyetherketoneketone; Premature loss of deciduous teeth