New method to analyze resolution acquisition for intraoral scanners

In dentistry, 3D intraoral scanners (IOSs) are gaining increasing popularity in the production of dental prostheses. However, the quality of an IOS in terms of resolution remains the determining factor of choice for the practitioner; a high resolution is a quality parameter that can reduce error in the production chain. To the best of our knowledge, the evaluation of IOS resolution is not clearly established in the literature. This study provides a simple assessment of resolution of an IOS by measuring a reference sample and highlights various factors that may influence the resolution. A ceramic tip was prepared to create a very thin object with an edge smaller than the current resolution stated by the company. The sample was scanned with microCT (micro-computed tomography) and an IOS. The resulting meshes were compared. In the mesh obtained with the IOS, the distance between two planes on the edge was approximately 100 micrometers, and that obtained with microtomography was 25 micrometers. The curvature values were 27.46 (standard deviation - SD) 14.71) μm-1 and 5.18 (SD 1.16) μm-1 for microCT and IOS, respectively. These results show a clear loss of information for objects that are smaller than 100 μm. As there is no normalized procedure to evaluate resolution of IOSs, the method that we have developed can provide a positive parameter for control of IOSs performance by practitioners