Status of current CAD/CAM technology in dental medicine.

This article provides an overview of the status of current CAD/CAM technology and possible development trends. In addition to a description of the different CAD/CAM components required for producing computer-assisted dental restorations, innovative design methods recently introduced into dental technology are also mentioned. In the description of the practical application of the current CAD/CAM systems, the possibilities and limits of the present-day techniques and future outlook are illustrated. In this context, the current range of materials available for the computer-assisted production of biocompatible and at the some time high-quality dental restorations is also discussed. In conclusion, the different economic concepts coming into consideration in view of the high investment costs of the current CAD/CAM systems are presented and discussed.