An Alternative Digital Workflow for 3D Virtual Patient Construction Integrating Intraoral, Facial, and CBCT Data for Esthetic and Occlusal Planning

Valenzuela M.V.; Marroquín-Soto C.; Padilla-Avalos C.-A. · Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry (2026) · DOI: 10.1111/jerd.70154

Resumen

Background: Virtual patient construction integrates dental, facial, and skeletal datasets into a unified 3D model for prosthodontic diagnosis and planning. Despite advances, fully digital workflows remain limited by challenges in reproducibility and clinical validation. Objective: To describe an alternative digital workflow for 3D virtual patient construction integrating intraoral, facial, and CBCT data, and to demonstrate its clinical applicability through direct intraoral mock-up validation. Methods: A patient with esthetic concerns and mild functional asymmetry was documented using full-arch intraoral scans, facial scans, and CBCT. Craniofacial reference planes guided multimodal alignment using an Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm with predefined parameters. The integrated datasets were analyzed in a virtual articulator to simulate mandibular movements. A 3D-printed model and silicone index enabled intraoral mock-up validation. Results: The workflow achieved consistent multimodal alignment of hard- and soft-tissue structures, eliminating the need for analog facebow transfer or mechanical mounting. The intraoral mock-up reproduced the virtual design, confirming the clinical transferability of esthetic and functional parameters. Conclusions: This workflow integrates virtual planning with clinical validation, thereby improving diagnostic precision, esthetic predictability, and interdisciplinary communication in prosthodontic rehabilitation. Clinical Relevance: This approach provides a reproducible option for virtual patient construction, enabling immediate chairside validation and supporting more predictable clinical decision-making in esthetic and occlusal rehabilitation.

Instituciones: Universidad Científica del Sur; Universidad Privada Norbert Wiener