Dental impressions are used to create a record of a person's teeth and oral structures. Conventional impressions are made using impression material placed in a tray, whereas digital impressions are obtained using an intraoral scanner. This randomized clinical trial compared conventional alginate impressions with digital intraoral scanning using the TRIOS 3 and Medit i700 scanners among dental students aged 18 to 24 years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three impression techniques. Each participant underwent recording of both the upper and lower dental arches using the assigned technique. The study primarily compared the chairside time required for each technique and the participants' experience immediately after the procedure. Comfort, nausea, breathing, pain, dry-mouth sensation, perceived procedure speed, overall satisfaction, and preference for conventional or digital impressions were also evaluated.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
DIAGNOSTIC
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
171
Maxillary and mandibular conventional impressions were obtained using Tropical alginate impression material and stock trays. The alginate was mixed, placed in the impression tray, and used according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Maxillary and mandibular full-arch digital impressions were obtained using the TRIOS 3 intraoral scanner according to the manufacturer's recommended scanning protocol. A bite-registration scan was also obtained.
Maxillary and mandibular full-arch digital impressions were obtained using the Medit i700 intraoral scanner according to the manufacturer's recommended scanning protocol. A bite-registration scan was also obtained.
Faculty of Odonto-Stomatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University
Huế, Vietnam
Total Chairside Procedure Time
Total chairside procedure time was measured in seconds using a digital stopwatch and calculated as the sum of the recorded procedural stages. For the conventional alginate group, the stages included maxillary mixing, maxillary impression taking, mandibular mixing, and mandibular impression taking. For the digital groups, the stages included patient and case information entry, maxillary scanning, and mandibular scanning. Bite-registration time was excluded from the total procedure time because there was no equivalent stage in the conventional alginate workflow.
Time frame: During the assigned impression procedure at the single study visit
Patient-Reported Overall Comfort During the Impression Procedure
Overall comfort during the assigned impression procedure was assessed immediately after the procedure using a 0-to-100 visual analogue scale. Higher scores indicated greater comfort.
Time frame: Immediately after completion of the assigned impression procedure
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