Abstract
ObjectivesNew generation intraoral scanners are promoted to be suitable for digital scans of long-span edentulous spaces and completely edentulous arches; however, the evidence is lacking. The current study evaluated the accuracy of intraoral scanning (IOS) in partially and completely edentulous arch models and analyzed the influence of operator experience on accuracy.Materials and methodsFour different resin models (completely and partially edentulous maxilla and mandible) were scanned, using a new generation IOS device (n = 20 each). Ten scans of each model were performed by an IOS-experienced and an inexperienced operator. An industrial high-precision scanner was employed to obtain reference scans. IOS files of each model-operator combination, their respective reference scan files (n = 10 each; total = 80), as well as the IOS files from each model generated by the same operator, were superimposed (n = 45; total = 360) to calculate trueness and precision. An ANOVA for mixed models and post hoc t tests for mixed models were used to assess group-wise differences (α = 0.05).ResultsThe median overall trueness and precision were 24.2 μm (IQR 20.7–27.4 μm) and 18.3 μm (IQR 14.4–22.1 μm), respectively. The scans of the inexperienced operator had significantly higher trueness in the edentulous mandibular model (p = 0.0001) and higher precision in the edentulous maxillary model (p = 0.0004).ConclusionThe accuracy of IOS for partially and completely edentulous arches in in vitro settings was high. Experience with IOS had small influence on the accuracy of the scans.Clinical relevanceIOS with the tested new generation intraoral scanner may be suitable for the fabrication of removable dentures regardless of clinician’s experience in IOS.
Highlights
Digital technologies are increasingly used in daily life, which is a trend that can be found in dentists’ clinical routine [1]
Longer scan times could be associated with a higher level of trueness (p = 0.04)
Higher trueness was found in the scans of the edentulous mandibular model by the inexperienced operator (p = 0.0001)
Summary
Digital technologies are increasingly used in daily life, which is a trend that can be found in dentists’ clinical routine [1]. The introduction of the terms computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) marked the start of an unprecedented digitalization process. With the technological advances the IOS devices have higher accuracy, shorter scan times, and provide increased patient/ clinician comfort, the basic principles of IOS still remain quite. Digital scans for the fabrication of single- or short-span fixed partial dentures are a proven option today, with similar or even better outcomes regarding the accuracy and scan time, compared to conventional impression taking [5,6,7,8,9]. In terms of accuracy, complete-arch scans still seem to remain inferior compared to conventional impressions [12, 13]. Scan time may differ in different clinical complete-arch scenarios [14]. In a partially dentate scenario, the accuracy of IOS seems directly related to the size of the edentulous area, with higher inaccuracies when scanning extended edentulous areas [12, 15]
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