Computer-aided analysis of digital dental impressions obtained from intraoral and extraoral scanners.

Statement of Problem: The internal and marginal adaptation of a computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) prosthesis relies on the quality of the 3-dimensional image. The quality of imaging systems requires evaluation.
Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the trueness of intraoral and extraoral scanners in scanning prepared teeth.
Material and Methods: Ten acrylic resin teeth to be used as a reference dataset were prepared according to standard guidelines and scanned with an industrial computed tomography system. Data were acquired with 4 scanner devices (n=10): the Trios intraoral scanner (TIS), the D250 extraoral scanner (DES), the Cerec Bluecam intraoral scanner (CBIS), and the Cerec InEosX5 extraoral scanner (CIES). For intraoral scanners, each tooth was digitized individually. Extraoral scanning was obtained from dental casts of each prepared tooth. The discrepancy between each scan and its respective reference model was obtained by deviation analysis (μm) and volume/area difference (μm). Statistical analysis was performed using linear models for repeated measurement factors test and 1-way ANOVA (α=.05).
Results: No significant differences in deviation values were found among scanners. For CBIS and CIES, the deviation was significantly higher (P<.05) for occlusal and cervical surfaces. With regard to volume differences, no statistically significant differences were found (TIS=340 ±230 μm; DES=380 ±360 μm; CBIS=780 ±770 μm; CIES=340 ±300 μm).
Conclusions: Intraoral and extraoral scanners showed similar trueness in scanning prepared teeth. Higher discrepancies are expected to occur in the cervical region and on the occlusal surface.
(Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)