Accuracy and efficiency of digitally fabricated all-ceramic crowns from conventional impressions and intraoral scans: A single-blind clinical randomized controlled trial

Purpose: To evaluate the accuracy of intraoral scanners by comparing the marginal fit of 70 all-ceramic crowns fabricated from both conventional impressions and intraoral scans. Materials and Methods: A total of 70 posterior teeth requiring single-crown restorations randomly underwent either intraoral scanning or conventional impression-taking followed by laboratory scanning of the casts in a parallel-group RCT. Subsequently, 70 monolithic all-ceramic crowns were CAD/CAM fabricated; only the impression technique differed. Marginal fit, internal fit, adjustment time required for insertion and occlusal contacts, and visual analog scale (VAS) scores assessing dentists’ satisfaction with all of the crowns were clinically evaluated by a blinded and calibrated examiner. Data were analyzed using independent-samples t test and likelihood ratio test or Fisher exact test. All tests were performed with α = .05. Results: The mean marginal fit with intraoral scanning (57.94 ± 22.51 µm) was better than with diagnostic cast scanning (82.98 ± 21.72 µm). The difference was statistically significant ( P = .000). The differences in internal fit, adjustment time for crown insertion and occlusal contacts, and VAS scores were also significant, and the secondary outcomes were in favor of intraoral scanning. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this clinical trial, CAD/CAM–fabricated single-tooth restorations in the posterior region produced by an intraoral scanning technique using TRIOS was found to be a more accurate and efficient alternative to restorations based on conventional