Communication of Aesthetic Data between Dentists and Laboratory Technicians in Fixed Prosthesis: A Study within Prosthetic Dental Technicians in Casablanca

Statement of Problem: Optimizing the aesthetic result of fixed prosthesis requires clear and fluid communication involving 3 partners: practitioner, patient and laboratory technician. Purpose: The objective of this survey was to determine the use of communication of aesthetic data (shape, dimension, color, etc.) between the dentist and the laboratory technician to improve the aesthetic result Material and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 94 dental technicians in Casablanca, Morocco. Results: 30.09% of dentists had often reported to the laboratory technician the patient’s expectations in aesthetic restoration to produce prostheses that matched patient aesthetic requests. Dentists mainly used temporary restorative dental impressions (66.6%) and photographs with temporary prostheses (55.3%) for transferring the dimensions and shapes of crowns to the laboratory. 75.5% of dentists always used shade guide and 53.2% of dental technicians rarely made visual assessments of the patient for shade matching. Conclusion: The communication of aesthetic data between the dentist and the laboratory technician involves efforts from both parties for the effective use of communication tools and investment in advanced digital devices for better management of patients’ aesthetic requests.