Current perspectives on digital smile design

What is it about?

Background: Digital Smile Design (DSD) is a method that helps predict digitally the outcome of a smile based on the use of both static or dynamic images, in order to plan simple or complex rehabilitation cases, to “draw a smile”. It is a valuable resource used to show the outcome of the treatment, to evaluate the aesthetic rehabilitation, to complete the diagnosis and improve communication with patients, laboratories and interdisciplinary clinicians. JPEG photos and STL files are forwarded to the laboratory and imported in CAD-CAM to make a mock-up and a provisional restoration. Thus, it is possible to check each step of the planning and make any corrections necessary. Objective: The present article is a comprehensive review on DSD, including every field in which it extends. Data sources: The research includes articles featuring the keywords: digital smile design, prosthodontic, surgery, digital flow, orthodontics and was conducted in two different databases, Pubmed and Google Scholar. Study Selection: After screening and removing the duplicates, 22 articles from Pubmed and 11 from Google Scholar were selected. Data extraction: The analysis included 13 articles regarding prosthetic rehabilitations, 7 articles about surgery (periodontal or rehabilitation), 11 articles describing DSD and 2 articles about orthodontics. The research included articles in English from 2000 to 2018. Data synthesis: DSD is an excellent way to design dental treatments thanks to its versatility in managing the treatment plan; however further improvements are required to refine the software and permit an appropriate clinical application. Keywords: digital smile design, diagnosis, communication.

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