The effect of stereophotogrammetry technique and differentiated auxiliary component usage on the accuracy of digital impressions in full-arch implant-supported prostheses: An In Vitro study

One of the most important factors affecting the success of prosthetic restorations is the accurate and precise transfer of the oral environment to the working model. Advances in CAD-CAM technologies have enabled the utilization of a fully digital workflow, eliminating the need for traditional impression steps. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of auxiliary geometric components in obtaining full-arch implant impressions and to compare these methods with photogrammetry techniques. For this purpose, two mandibular models were created. Four implants were placed in one model and six implants in the other. Multi-unit abutments were then placed on the implants. An industrial scanner was used to capture the three-dimensional positions of the placed implants. In Group 1, no modifications were made to the scanning body. In Group 2, various auxiliary geometric components of different colors and shapes were designed and produced, and scanning was performed using these components. In Group 3, the scanning was conducted using the stereophotogrammetry technique. The obtained scanning data were transferred to a reverse engineering program called Geomagic Control X, where the angular deviations and RMS values between the generated scanning data and the reference data were calculated. The results indicated that the stereophotogrammetry group exhibited significantly lower angular deviation values compared to several other groups. Scans conducted with the created auxiliary geometric components did not show a significantly higher accuracy value compared to those obtained from IOS scanning. No significant differences were observed between the four-member and six-member models according to the scanning methods used. Keywords: Geomagic Control X, IOS, scan body, auxiliary geometric component