Fast-Track Smiles: USIM Brings Digital Dentistry to Community Outreach with 3D-Printed Dentures.

Introduction

Malaysia recorded approximately 3.6 million citizens aged 65 years and above as of 2021, with 7% of this group experiencing total tooth loss. Projections indicate that by 2030, the country will be classified as an aging nation, as 15% of its population will be over the age of 60. The cumulative effect demand the urgent need for accessible, high-quality dental care intervention.

Access to quality dental care remains a persistent challenge for many individuals especially elderly worldwide, particularly among vulnerable populations including in Malaysia. Many older adults frequently encounter challenges and struggle to access dental care due to mobility issues, long public clinic waiting times, and the high cost of treatment in private practice, where a set of dentures can cost up to RM2,000–3,000. As a result, the need for dentures remains largely unmet, particularly among low-income elderly patients. Yet dentures are vital, not only for chewing and speech clarity, but it also affect facial aesthetics and overall quality of life.

Conventional denture fabrication is a labour intensive process, often requiring multiple clinical appointments, impressions, laboratory work, and several fitting adjustments. For individuals in low-resource settings, the financial and logistical demands of this process frequently pose insurmountable burden for them to get the treatment.

Across the world, dentists, dental technicians, and CAD/CAM specialists are increasingly adopting additive manufacturing into their clinical practise. From crowns to orthodontic appliances, 3D printing has established itself as a dependable tool for delivering precision, efficiency, and customised solution. Yet, despite its rapid growth of 3D printing and rising global interest, the application of 3D printing in dentistry remains largely concentrated in high-end clinics and private practices. While its benefits in terms of its precision and workflow efficiency are often emphasised, its potential to support community service and public health outreach is far less explored.

Program Highlights

NILAI, Malaysia – As part of community service innovation, the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM), has launched an initiative to provide free dentures for individuals aged 55 years and above who face financial barriers to accessing denture treatment. The team has successfully delivered 45 sets of 3D printed and conventional dentures to senior citizens in just three clinic visits. A feat made possible through advanced 3D-printing technology and innovative workflow. The initiative, known as the Gigi Palsu Ekspres (Express Denture) project, was funded by Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance through Geran Komuniti@UniMADANI 2024. This grant was designed to bring the expertise and skills of university specialists directly to the community to address pressing local needs. Accordingly, this project also serves as a tool for transferring knowledge and expertise to enhance the community’s quality of life. Through this program, USIM demonstrated how 3D printing can be applied not only in high-end clinics but also as part of a community service effort aimed at enhancing the quality of life of elderly patients.

The ground-breaking approach by Faculty of Dentistry, USIM cut treatment times almost in half compared to conventional denture services, which typically require five separate appointments. With only four operators, the USIM team provided a complete service cycle from digital scanning of the impressions to final delivery in three to four visits, without compromising fit, comfort, or aesthetics.

The goal of this programme by incorporating 3D printed denture treatment is to deliver a high quality prosthetics in a shorter time frame, while simultaneously providing free dentures to elderly patients, especially those from low-income communities. The ability of 3D printing to produce dentures in a shorter time is valuable for outreach initiatives and organizations seeking to serve many patients within a limited timeframe. The production time for a conventional full denture usually took around the 2–3 weeks to be completed. On the other hand, 3D printed denture can be reduced to just 4–8 hours of printing. When combined with digital design and post-processing, the entire workflow is completed within 2–3 days. Supported by the presence of USIM’s mobile dental laboratory, this time-saving workflow made it possible to deliver full dentures in only three visits.

The denture project was enhanced by the presence of the USIM’s Mobile Dental Laboratory. With the mobile lab on-site, important steps like cast pouring and initial processing were done immediately by the dental technician. This made denture fabrication faster, appointments easier to be attended by patients, and ensured a smooth workflow that kept the program running efficiently. When combined with the precision of digital design and the efficiency of 3D printing at the faculty’s laboratory, the mobile unit transformed the workflow into a fast, coordinated, and highly effective service model.

 

The Express Denture program was conducted over four structured visits. The first session involved dental screening to select patients without caries or periodontal disease so denture work could begin immediately. Those needing only minor treatment, such as scaling or a single filling, were referred to the USIM mobile dental clinic for quick management. While the final sessions focusing on denture delivery, review adjustments, and patient education. The workflow began with taking conventional impressions, creating stone casts, and scanning them in the faculty’s digital laboratory to produce an accurate 3D model of the patient’s mouth.

Using CAD design software, the dentures were digitally planned for optimal fit, bite, and aesthetics. A 3D-printed trial denture was then 3D-printed using the NextDent printer. During the try-in stage, patients wore this prototype so that the clinical team could evaluate retention, stability, bite alignment, speech, and overall comfort. Patients could experience how the final denture would function, while clinicians made precise adjustments directly to the digital design.

Once approved, the design was returned to the lab for final processing. The definitive denture was 3D-printed using NextDent resin materials, then finished and polished for a natural look. When the denture was issued, patients left with restored function, improved speech, and aesthetic. Each patient also received a denture care kit and personalised oral hygiene counselling, ensuring the sustainability of the denture care and oral health maintenance.

This model enabled the team to complete 45 denture cases in this programme efficiently, showing that with careful planning, digital workflows, and in house 3D printing, large scale denture provision can be achieved in a short time without compromising quality.

At the core of the program’s success was 3D printing’s ability to speed up and streamline production without sacrificing quality. Such innovations align with global dental trends towards chairside fabrication, CAD/CAM prosthodontics, and patient-centred digital dentistry, positioning USIM as a model in adapting these technologies for public health applications in Southeast Asia.

Looking Ahead

The Gigi Palsu Ekspres program has set a strong precedent for scalable, technology-enabled dental outreach. Its efficiency model reducing denture treatment from five visits to three offers a blueprint that can be adapted not only across Malaysia but in communities worldwide where access to prosthodontic care is limited especially for the vulnerable population.

As the global population ages, innovations that combine speed, precision, and accessibility will be the key in closing gaps in oral healthcare delivery. The approach can be replicated by dental schools, public health agencies, NGOs, and private practitioners alike. The Express Denture concept shows that with proper planning, the integration of a mobile dental lab, mobile clinic, digital design, and 3D printing into clinical workflows can greatly reduce treatment time, cut costs, and enhance patient satisfaction, no matter the location. Such a model holds particular promise for rural regions, mobile clinics, humanitarian missions, and ageing populations in both developed and developing nations.

 

 

About the Authors

Dr. Laila Azwa Hassan

Dr. Laila Azwa Hassan, is a lecturer and Restorative Specialist at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM). She is actively involved in community service programs, including initiatives to provide dentures and general dental treatment for underserved elderly patients and homeless in Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur.

Email: dr.lailaazwahassan@usim.edu.my

 

 

 

Dr. Nusima bt Mohamed is a prostho dontist and lecturer at the Faculty of Dentistry, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM).

She is actively engaged in teaching, clinical practice and serves as the head of the Express Denture project team and has extensive experience in prosthodontic care treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

Associate Professor Dr. Norlela Yacob

Associate Professor Dr. Norlela Yacob is a prosthodontist at the Faculty of Dentistry, USIM. She is actively engaged in teaching, clinical practice, and research in prosthodontics. She has particular expertise in digital workflows and 3D-printed dentures.