Repeatability of Intraoral Scanners for Complete Arch Scan of Partially Edentulous Dentitions: An In Vitro Study

Abstract

Research on whether the number or location of missing teeth affects the accuracy of intraoral scanners in partial edentulous patients is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the precision of complete-arch scan data of various partial edentulous arches acquired by intraoral scanners. Five different maxillary models were scanned using Carestream CS3600 and Medit i500 scanners. The models employed here were control: Fully dentate; Case 1: Missing a right second premolar and a first molar; Case 2: Missing a right second premolar, a first molar, both left premolars, and a left first molar; Case 3: Missing four incisors and a right canine; and Case 4: Missing four incisors, a left second premolar, and a first molar. Six scans per group were performed and the resulting two datasets were paired to analyze the precision of each group (n = 15). Two-way ANOVA was performed (alpha = 0.05). The root mean square (RMS) error values in Cases 2, 3, and 4 were significantly higher than those in Case 1 and control. The RMS values of the two intraoral scanners were not significantly different. Scanning precision was significantly lower for both devices when used for scanning dental arches with >= 5 missing teeth.