DIGITAL IMPRESSION – FROM CLINIC TO THE DENTAL LAB

Dr. Hristina Galeva

Department of Prosthetic Medicine

Faculty of Dental Medicine

Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria

Taking accurate impression has always been at the heart of all prosthetic work. In the last decade, digital methods to take an impression become more and more prevalent in clinical practice. The rapid development of CAD/CAM systems and, in particular, the different scanners are the reason for new questions to the dental practitioner regarding the scanning method, the type of scanner, the advantages and disadvantages of analog and digital protocols at work.

The lecture will present a scientific study comparing different impression methods. It includes three digital protocols: direct intraoral scanning, laboratory scanning of an analog impression and laboratory scanning of a stone model. Various brands of scanners are included (total of 7 scanners). A total of 100 digital images were compared using a special computer program. The obtained results will be presented and compared. The advantages and disadvantages of the various digital protocols for transferring information from the prosthetic field to the dental laboratory will be pointed out. Practical recommendations will be given when choosing a digital approach to impression taking for fixed prosthetic constructions.