The effect of scanner type and scan body position on the accuracy of complete-arch digital implant scans

Background: How the accuracy of complete-arch implant scans is affected when different intraoral scanners (IOSs) are used and the effect of scan body position on the accuracy are not well-known.

Purpose: To compare the scan accuracy (trueness and precision) of a recently introduced IOS (Virtuo Vivo) to a commonly used IOS (TRIOS 3) and the scans of a laboratory scanner (LBS; Cares 7 SERIES) in a completely edentulous maxilla with four implants. It was also aimed to evaluate the effect of scan body position on the accuracy.

Materials and methods: Multi-unit scan bodies were tightened on a poly(methyl methacrylate) edentulous maxillary model with four implants. A master reference model (MRM) stereolithography (STL) file was generated by scanning the model with a high-precision scanner. The model was scanned with three different scanners (n = 10); two different IOSs and a LBS. STL files were superimposed over the MRM.

Results: For trueness, scan body position (P = .004) and scanner type (P < .001) had a significant effect on distance deviation and a significant interaction was found (P = .001). For angular deviation, only scanner type had a significant effect (P = .028). For precision, significant difference was found for distance (P = .011) and angular deviations (P = .020) between different scanner types.

Conclusions: One scanner type was not superior to others when both trueness and precision were considered. Position of the scan body affected the distance deviation (trueness).