The Trend in the Application of Digital Smile Design Technology: Insights from 2016 to 2023

Abstract

Background: Technology has brought about a lot of changes in dentistry, especially in dental materials and procedures. Tools for digital planning, as Digital Smile Design (DSD), should be applied.

Aim: The objective of this study is to analyze the application of DSD in various dental specialties.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 24 studies from clinical as well as animal studies that were selected according to an inclusion criterion that emphasized the use of DSD in restorative dentistry, periodontology, dental implant and various other fields in addition to an exclusion criterion in which patient-based studies with a specific disease or insufficient data were excluded. Analysis was conducted via a one-sample T-test.

Results: DSD was mostly applied in prosthetic and restorative dentistry (47.6%), followed by periodontal treatment. The latest common applications were in guided bone regeneration and maxillofacial surgery (4.8%), the statistical analysis showed significant differences between all these percentages

Conclusions:  The major use of DSD is in prosthetic and restorative treatment and then in periodontology.

2) DSD can enhance communication with patients, treatment planning and results prediction