3D-printed oral stents, simple glass bottle, and nonstent
head and shoulder cushions, occlusion
The occlusion degree of the upper and lower incisor teeth of each patient was set at approximately 2.5 cm based on the principle of individual difference and patient comfort. Specifically, the softened impression paste was placed into the mouth of patients, and then patients were instructed to bite the paste into a synthetic shape. After 5 min, the model was taken out of the mouth, rinsed with water, and scanned on a large-aperture positioning CT simulator with a slice thickness of 1.25 mm and a slice spacing of 0.625 mm. Subsequently, the CT images were imported into Mimics 10.1 software to discard redundant data, followed by the reconstruction of a 3D model. According to the oral condition of patients in MEDCAD, the ventilation channel was outlined in the module. After the 3D model was obtained and further optimized, an individualized oral stent was printed with the set printing speed and slice height by inputting the information into a 3D printer. Figure The 3D-printed oral stent (Patients in the glass group had a simple glass bottle placed in their mouth as a dental stent, while the control group did not use any stent. All the Patients lay in a supine position. Appropriately angled head and shoulder cushions were placed on the head and shoulders of patients and fixed with S-shaped thermoplastic masks.