Evaluation of dental impressions obtained by conventional and digital techniques in terms of acceptaility, treatment comfort and stress according to patients perceptions

Recent technological advances have made intraoral scanners and digital models a promising alternative to traditional impression techniques. The purpose of this study was to compare three impression methods (with one stage mixing technique and direct technique) in terms of time efficiency, treatment comfort, acceptability and stress according to the patients' perspectives. Twenty-seven (14 male, 13 female) participants who had no previous experience in conventional or digital impressions were included in this study on a voluntary basis. Impressions were taken from these patients using additive type silicone (Elite HD+, Zhermack, Italy) and two different digital scanners (Cerec Omnicam AC, Dentsplay Sirona, Germany and TRIOS 3, 3Shape, Denmark). Each impression method was applied with an interval of 2-3 weeks. Immediately after the impressions were taken, the attitudes, preferences and perceptions of the participants towards impression techniques were evaluated using a standard questionnaire. Perceived stress and pain were assessed using the State Anxiety Scale (STAI-S) and the Visual Visual Scale (VAS). The steps of impression techniques (tray selection, working time, etc.) were recorded in seconds. Statistical analyzes were performed with Friedman and Repeated Measures tests, and p<0.05 was considered significant. As a result of the study, a significant difference was found between the total working time and the processing steps. The TRIOS 3 digital system was found to be more time efficient than other techniques. It was stated that the TRIOS 3 digital scanner was more comfortable than other techniques, and the TRIOS 3 digital scanner was preferred among the three techniques by the patients.